Excelsior RSHS

“𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒐𝒎, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒕.”

Today 𝑨𝒖𝒈𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝟐𝟏 marks the day of awakening for the filipinos on the dictatorship of the former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., 𝑆𝑒𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝐵𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑜 “𝑵𝒊𝒏𝒐𝒚” 𝐴𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑛𝑜,𝐽𝑟. lead the spark of the national movement against the 21 year regime of the Marcos’.His heroic act stands as a testament to his undying love to the Philippines and countryman.

As we celebrate his 𝟒𝟑𝒓𝒅 death anniversary may we remember how he sacrifices his own freedom for the sake of the Filipinos, may this awaken us that true love to our country means service and sacrifice,for his words and legacy will live forever in our hearts.

Regsay Dos, under the leadership of Mr. Honorato Malabad, Jr., extends its gratitude to all stakeholders, SPTA President Chit Baccay, Dra. Herbie Barrios, Architect Derick Cardona, Ilagan City Medical Center personnel and all other SPTA members and officials who initiated the conduct of campus fogging, aiming to minimize risks of dengue and other mosquito-related diseases among students and staff.

Thank you for your benevolence, our partners in education!

𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 | RegSay students showcased their wits in the recently conducted “𝘽𝙐𝙒𝘼𝙉 𝙉𝙂 𝙆𝘼𝘽𝘼𝙏𝘼𝘼𝙉”,clinching the title of 𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑴𝑷𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺 in the Quiz Bee and Debate category.

𝙍𝙀𝙎𝙐𝙇𝙏𝙎 𝘼𝙍𝙀 𝙁𝙄𝙉𝘼𝙇𝙇𝙔 𝙄𝙉!👏

Congratulations to the winners and qualifiers of the 2026 𝑺𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒍-𝑩𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆! 🏆

Know that your commitment to 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙢 will always be acknowledged!

Listed below are the 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙚𝙨 per category.

𝙆𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧, your journey in campus journalism is just getting started. 🖊️✨

SGC IN ACTION!

The School Governing Council, together with School Principal Honorato Malabad, Jr., convened for a discussion pertaining to school policies and implementation during the first regular meeting and SIP review at RSHS Conference hall, August 07.

The team comprised of the newly elected SGC Co-Chair Dutch Anne V. Uy, Alumni President Jaqueline G. Gumabay, Aziz Gumabay, PTA President Chit Baccay, Mr. Julius Uy, and Mrs. Aljane Recaido.

SGC Designated Co- Chairperson Vallen Reyes gave the team an orientation about the direction of the SGC.

Meanwhile, Alumni President Jaqueline Gumabay expressed high hopes on the success of plans and program implementation of the school and has urged the Regsay Community to solidify linkage with the Alumni Association and other stakeholders.

𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐒𝐢𝐫 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩! 💙

Behind every article we write and every milestone we achieve is a mentor who never fails to guide and encourage us.

Thank you for always reminding us to pursue truth, excellence, and integrity in journalism.

On your special day, we wish you 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙝, 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙪𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 in the coming year ahead. May you continue to inspire many more student journalists, just as you have inspired us.

𝙊𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣, 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙗𝙞𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙙𝙖𝙮, 𝙎𝙞𝙧 𝙋𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙥! 🎂💙

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒔 𝑩𝒆𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔

𝑩𝒚: 𝑲𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉 𝑷𝒂𝒈𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒂𝒏

There are ghosts that don't wait in abandoned houses. They don’t walk around empty halls, whispering curses to everyone who can hear them. They don’t drag their feet with a chain that follows, creaking at night whenever they wander. No. Some ghosts are quieter than that, because they appear only when the lights are turned off, and a person stands alone in front of a mirror.

They are the ghosts of everything someone could’ve been.
A doctor stands behind the glass, wearing a coat that was never his. An athlete waves, clinging to a trophy for a race he was never qualified to play. A musician sits before his piano, playing a song that was never written. A version of themselves runs faster, speaks louder, learns quicker, and goes to places they could only ever imagine from a distance.

The mirror doesn’t show creepy faces or monsters. It shows possibilities, and perhaps that is how it haunts people. It frightens through letting people meet strangers who wear their skin, reflecting back their own faces. They lingered in every comparison, every “what if,” every version of themselves they imagined would have been happier, brighter, or more worthy if only they had chosen differently. They’re scary not because they’re real, but because people kept giving them a place to exist.

People spend years chasing these reflections. They look at the achievements of others and wonder where they went wrong. They see someone who effortlessly passes what they struggled with, someone more famous or “successful” in a conventional manner—someone who seemed to be everything they could’ve been. The mirror reflects back a lone, familiar path that could’ve led them to a better future, as it did with so many of their peers, if only they had enough potential to find it in the first place. So ghosts appear because they mourn a life they never lost and grieve a person who never existed.

But ghosts are not always proof of what was taken away. Sometimes, they are proof of what was never meant to be in the first place.

Society often teaches people that an ordinary life is a life unfinished. That being average means falling behind. That there is always someone smarter, quicker, more talented, and more deserving to beat them. So, they look in a mirror to search for greatness, forgetting that mirrors were not made to show who someone is supposed to become. They were made to reflect who’s already there.

The person standing before the glass may never become the prodigy they imagined. They may never be the first, the top, the best, or the person whose legacy would be remembered by everyone.

But that doesn’t make their existence any smaller.
A candle isn’t useless just because it’s not the sun. A show isn’t meaningless just because it hadn’t been watched by everyone. A small life doesn’t suddenly become empty just because it isn’t extraordinary.

Not everyone is born to be a legend.

Some are born to exist quietly, to create genuine moments, to help without being recognized, and to live a life that doesn’t need a crowd to matter. Because perhaps the greatest tragedy is not to become ordinary. Perhaps it’s spending an entire lifetime trying to find a ghost inside the mirror and failing to recognize the person that has been standing there all along.

Because the ghosts behind the glass were never the lives people couldn’t achieve. They were the lives people refused to accept they do not need.

𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐒 𝐔𝐏!

The Regional Science High School for Region 02 officially commences its 2-day 𝙎𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡-𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙒𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙧.

Guided by resource speakers via online meet, and pre-recorded videos— the SBPC was an ultimate way to bridge the gap among learners in journalistic writing, and honing literate individuals.

This activity was not only to search for contestants, but to ignite the flame of excellence within. Urged by truth— no bias, just the news. Journalism's mantra, where integrity flows through.

Just the Pax

by: TOFIsticated

Territories are meant to be shared, not savored alone. But when one enjoys being in the same area for too long, having an anchorage on where it stands, it becomes parasitic to its surroundings— leeching on its host. That's what it's like to implement Pax Silica when mandated by an imperialist country. Depriving indigenous individuals of shelter and water, in exchange for employment of the masses.

For as early as December of 2025, Pax Silica has already been brought out to media, and is defined as a counter to China's strength in the technological manufacturing sector by the United States— producing computerized components such as chips, by obtaining natural minerals and processing it into technological advancements.

The Philippines charts top 5 of the world's most mineral-rich countries, and it is no doubt— that we have been blessed by the Gods above of these vast natural resources. But when it holds 4000 acres of our land (24 Mall of Asias combined), consuming 5 million gallons of water a day— Then human needs are compromised. Land for shelter is stolen, water becomes insufficient.

Indeed, our countrymen lack jobs, employment is in demand, and income is a necessity to sustain millions of families in this poverty-stricken country. But when the opportunity cost to these favorable conditions mean depriving the indigent of shelter, water, and basic resources— then it does not compensate for the salaries and wages being dispensed by the government.

Not only that, but also do we have to keep an eye on our mineral reserves. Copper, nickel, cobalt, chromite, and gold— all scraped off of our mountains for the sake of technology. The news has stated that it was not given a consumption limit. And if we keep letting these neocolonialists infiltrate the very riches that keep this country wealthy, then we will go far beyond the poverty line, below the measures of steadily-moving countries, and overall regressing as a nation.

One opinion seems useless. But when the facts come at your face, reprimanding for all the damage caused— it seems that there is no rebuttal to that argument. More or less 15,000 farmers, 20,000 indigenous people, and at least 92 families pushed away from their humble homes. Taken for granted, settling elsewhere because their shelter no longer serves them.

This is a consummate example of how flawed the system is. When employment and technological advancement are prioritized over the sake of thousands of people, it shows how greedy and power-hungry these officials are, in desperation for deals, and in hopes of abundance to this sinking country.

Pax Silica indeed benefits the investors, business owners, dealers, and of course, the economic status. But when the opportunity cost for this trade off becomes sacrificial to many, and weighs more than its positives— then it is not mutualism, but perhaps parasitism. It does not look at the state of the people, it spectates on reputation, economic status, and power scaling. No longer a mere opinion, but a proven statement that the Philippines asserts. Not bias, nor pure belief— just the facts.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑼𝒏𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝑬𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏

𝑩𝒚: Jeff Raposas

There comes a moment in every student’s life when the equation no longer fits.

At first, it seems simple. A notebook in one hand, a dream in the other. One quiz, one club, one responsibility. Everything appears balanced, just as every equation should be. Each reactant has its product, each coefficient falls perfectly into place, and every answer seems attainable.

Then, another variable is introduced.

A performance task arrives before the previous one is submitted. A written work waits beside an unfinished research paper. Club meetings overlap with schedules. Leadership demands decisions while quizzes demand memorization. At home, dishes remain unwashed, younger siblings ask for help, and family responsibilities quietly remind us that life exists beyond the school gates. Suddenly, the equation grows more complex; not because we forgot how to solve it, but because new elements keep appearing before we can finish balancing the old ones.

People see medals displayed on bulletin boards, trophies lifted on stage, and names proudly announced during recognition programs. They admire the finished formula without ever witnessing the countless revisions scribbled in pencil and pens, the sleepless nights hidden behind bright smiles, or the silent calculations students make every day; “If I finish this project tonight, maybe I can review for tomorrow’s quiz. If I skip lunch, perhaps I can finalize the presentation. If I sleep one hour later, maybe everything will finally be balanced.”

Yet equations do not balance themselves through sacrifice alone.

In chemistry, adding too much of one substance while neglecting another changes the entire reaction. In life, overloading one side slowly empties the other. A student may excel in leadership yet struggle in silence. Another may earn perfect scores while carrying burdens no report card could ever measure. Balance is not achieved by giving everything to one side but rather is found by recognizing that every part of the equation matters.

And still, behind that burden, they return.

They continue solving problems in classrooms while quietly trying to solve themselves. They laugh with friends between deadlines, encourage group-mates while feeling exhausted, and somehow discover enough strength to begin another day before the previous one ended.

Maybe that is the greatest lesson science has ever offered—not found in Mass formula’s or the periodic table, but hidden within the simple act of balancing an equation.

And perhaps the strongest Science High School students are not those who always find the correct answer or get the highest grades, but those who keep rewriting the equation without ever forgetting why they started solving it in the first place.