By Daniella Balili
With the aim of advocating excellency and unity among its students, the much-anticipated Manifesting Excellence Towards Remarkable Opportunities (Metro 2019) of College of Business Administration and Accountancy (CBAA) materialized on October 26 at Ugnayang La Salle (ULS).
Metro 2019, which featured two volumes, served as CBAA’s effort in unifying its community and in raising awareness about highly integral social issues in the country.
Volume I
Volume I highlighted the issue about Gender inclusion, with esteemed guest speakers Bro. James Nicolas, Mutya ng Pilipinas 1997 Esabela Suarez, DigiMark Social Media Solutions Inc. Chief Operating Officer Mark Angelo Roma, and CBAA alumnus CG Murillo. DLSU-D Social Science Professors Dr. Mark Edwin Aspra and Dr. Ma. Virginia Aguilar, and Ms. Silfa Napicol also joined the discussion, serving as reactors in the seminar.
The said professionals discussed the real definition of gender inclusion, along with its significance today in the society. “Gender inclusion is about trying to include everybody in a conversation, no matter what their gender [is]; [it] shouldn’t really [be a matter],” Roma stated.
Meanwhile, the speakers also shared how important gender inclusion is today, considering that there are a lot of people being left-out due to society’s prejudice to the LGBTQ+ community.
The discussion also highlighted the role of youth in understanding the essence of gender inclusivity, reminding young people to be more critical in grasping sensitive concepts, including the difference between Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. “Whether you’re straight or not, [everyone] has a SOGIE…I just want you [attendees] to have that knowledge na it’s not just for us (LGBTQ) but for everybody,” Murillo said.
When asked about people who have homophobic tendencies, they urged the audience to further educate them to break the stigma and misconceptions. “Tuloy lang ang page-educate sa kanila, tuloy lang ‘yung pagbibigay ng tamang orientation,” Napicol stated.
Moreover, CBAA students commended CBAASG for organizing talks about various gender concepts. “[It was] very commendable, kasi I was listening the whole time…Napapanahon lang din na mag-establish ng convention pertaining sa inclusivity at acceptance,” Luis Castulo (OFA 11) told Green FM.
Volume II
On the other hand, the assembly continued to heat up in the afternoon as Metro 2019’s pinoy music festival concert unleashed students’ hype and energy.
In demand local bands such as Orange and Lemons, Join the Club, and Kiyo and Alisson made the jam crowd with their original songs and renditions of classic OPM hits.
Moreover, DLSU-D’s homegrown talents also took the center stage with outstanding performances from the Lasallian Pop Band, Lasallian Pointes and Flexes, CBAA Voices, and Neverland.
