Remembering the Fallen: A MAGDALO War Story part II

(Note: The following is a continuation of an article that was first published in MAGDALO, Vol XXI No 1. However, due to space and sensitivity issues, the staff and the author have agreed to publish it in a more abridged form. The complete version can be found in the author’s blog (http://mysecondbloghangar.blogspot.com) and the MAGDALO contributors’ blog (http://magdalo_media_group_ii.blogs.friendster.com/my_blog/). Thanks for reading. -JSL)

by Jonas S Lopez

“You have to hold on to a dream, you have to hold on to your ideals and never lose sight of it. And though there are pragmatic considerations in every situation, you have to stand by what you believe in, not only in words but in action, no matter what the cost is. It sounds simple but it can be difficult at times. However, it can be done and I think it’s worth it.” -Cecilia ‘Che-Che’ Lazaro, President and CEO, Probe Productions, Inc.; Host, PROBE

“For the people who fought hard but fallen, it is still a good fight. Losing the fight is far better than not fighting at all and ‘dancing to someone’s music.’” -from a Friendster testimonial by Juan Paolo Navarro, RMT (BS MedTech ’04) Staff Writer, July 2000-June 2001; Managing Editor, July 2001-December 2002; Editor-in-Chief, December 2002-June 2003

“A journalist, particularly a columnist, should stand by what he or she perceives to be the truth and suffer the consequences if need be. The aftermath of telling the truth could come in the form of a libel suit with the possibility of going to jail, or harm to his person…Which is worse, being stupid or being cowardly? I’d rather be a stupid columnist jailed for his convictions than a free man without a backbone. A cowardly columnist, no matter his eloquence, loses his credibility sooner or later.”-Ramon Tulfo

IT’S ALL ABOUT…

The MAGDALO is about service, loyalty, brotherhood, camaraderie, teamwork, and friendship. To belong in this elite squadron requires a great deal of sacrifice, the courage to write and report the truth, the whole truth and nothing but, the desire to spend long hours working on it, and the strong willpower to not become beholden to anybody. Some only want to sign up for the scholarship, because they have friends among the staff, and think of the power and feeling of adventure that joining MAGDALO would give them.

Remembering the Fallen: A MAGDALO War Story Part I

(Note: The following is the text of an article that was published in MAGDALO, Vol XXI No1. Some text has been altered from the original version for better clarity, as this has not been published in four years. However, the final version published was heavily censored.)

by Jonas Lopez

Let no one forget,
Let nothing be forgotten!

Written by Russian poet Olga Berggolts, these words are etched in stone and steel at the entrance to the Piskarevsky Cemetery in St. Petersburg, Russia, the final resting place of over 1.5 million victims of the longest siege in modern history: the siege of Leningrad (it’s Soviet-era name), which lasted from early September 1941 to late January 1944, with half a million people dying in the first six months alone, from cold, starvation, disease, and German attacks.

As one of three MAGDALO staffers