u/CheekHefty2308

HOW SJCB WORKS WHEN THERE IS MONEY INVOLVED: Every school year, early January marks the arrival of the highly anticipated "Intramurals"—a week-long sports festival featuring volleyball, badminton, basketball, and the crown jewel of the event: the school pageantry. Annually, dozens of passionate students, both men and women, join this prestigious competition. Their preparation is nothing short of grueling. Candidates dedicate weeks to rigorous training, often practicing late into the night, sacrificing sleep, and even hiring professional passarela coaches to perfect their walk. They pour their hearts, sweat, and tears into the competition, driven by the hope that merit and dedication will carry them to victory.

Unfortunately, behind the beauty and hard work, lies a disappointing reality: the systemic unfairness of the judging system, locally referred to as “luto” by the students and icons

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A significant portion of the criteria is often tied to fundraising, ticket sales, or raffle money. Resulting in the candidate whose camp can generate the largest financial contribution or secure the most raffle money is virtually guaranteed a major award or the crown itself.

This financial bias makes the traditional elements of pageantry meaningless. A candidate can deliver an flawless passarela walk, show immense charisma, and provide an exceptionally smart answer during the question-and-answer portion. Yet, if their opponent raises a higher amount of money, the superior talent is sidelined in favor of financial gain. This practice transforms a celebration of student talent into a commercialized bidding war, leaving hardworking participants going home disappointed

WE HAVE A LOT MORE TO UNVEIL, YET BECAUSE OF THE LIMITED TIME THIS IS ALL I CAN SAY.

Additionally, regarding the athletes, we have experienced a serious lack of equipment, facilities, and proper support from the school. We do not even have official coaches, and there are no proper courts for basketball, volleyball, and badminton. All athletes are forced to share one small court with very low ceiling, making training difficult and unsafe, especially for volleyball and badminton players.

Most athlete from other school train every day with proper guidance and enough time to improve. Meanwhile, in SJCB, training only happens once or twice a week, and most of the times it only lasts for 1 to 2 hours. Despite the limited training, athletes are still expected to perform well, win competitions, and bring honor to the school.

What is even more disappointing is that athletes are the ones paying for their own jerseys, transportation, and food every time we compete in BulPrisa. However, during enrollment, students are still charged a BulPrisa fee. This raises an important question: where does that fee actually go? If we are the ones representing the school, shouldn't the school at least provide support for the athletes' basic needs and expenses?

Being a student-athlete is already physically, mentally, and academic exhausting. We sacrifice our time, energy, and sometimes our studies just to represent the school with pride. Despite this, we are still heavily pressured to perform well academically while balancing training and competitions. Most teachers also do not give consideration to student-athletes, even during important events and schedules related to competitions.

We understand that being student-athlete is our choice, and we are not asking for special treatment. However, a little consideration and understanding would mean a lot, especially for students who are doing their best to balance both academic and sports while representing the school. What makes it more unfair is that students under other BulPrisa tracks, especially academic-related competitions, are often given a lot of consideration by teachers. Meanwhile, athletes are expected to keep up with everything without the same level of understanding and support.

Athletes should not only be recognized when they win. Support should already be present while they are still training, struggling, and trying their best. Without proper facilities, coaching, and support from the administration, it becomes difficult for athletes to grow and succeed. The pressure to win is always there, but the guidance and support that athletes need is always missing.

Lastly, let’s talk about how they handle home-based activities during suspensions. It’s honestly exhausting when the weather is at both extremes—either it's incredibly hot or there's a heavy downpour.

Most other schools completely call off any home-based tasks during a suspension. They do this to genuinely ensure the safety of the students, giving everyone a breather so families can focus on staying safe without worrying about schoolwork.

But at St. Jude College of Bulacan (SJCB), the reality is completely different. They just don't seem to stop. What’s even more frustrating is that even when our mayor already posted an explicit announcement stating "no home-based activities," the school still pushes through and insists on giving out workloads anyway.

SJCB, improve your system. Do justice to your icons.