["PLAY THE KING" IS ACT TWO OF THE "PLAY" SERIES. PLEASE READ "PLAY THE QUEEN" FIRST.]
It's been four months since Priam Torres, the once unpopular president of the Elysian University Student Council, assumed office. Thanks to his chief-of-staff Cas...
Oops! Ang larawang ito ay hindi sumusunod sa aming mga alituntunin sa nilalaman. Upang magpatuloy sa pag-publish, subukan itong alisin o mag-upload ng bago.
REYNARD
NEW YEAR, new me! Promise, magbabagong buhay na ako ngayong taon. Lahat ng bad traits at red flags ko, tatanggalin ko na ngayong 2022. Hindi na ako masyadong magiging pushy to the point na nagiging uncomfortable na ang interviewee ko. Hindi na ako magiging masyadong mapang-ahas to the point na malalagay sa peligro ang buhay ko.
Just kidding! I would be the same Reynard that I was in 2021. Bakit ko babaguhin ang isang bagay kung wala namang dapat baguhin do'n? In fact, I planned to amplify some of my traits. I aimed to be bolder and fiercer—all for the sake of the truth. I would pose harder-hitting questions to those who would try to evade accountability with falsehoods.
"Thank you all for joining our first team meeting for 2022," greeted Nolan San Miguel, our boss in the news department, with a forced smile. "Sana'y nasulit n'yo ang inyong Christmas break dahil magiging hectic ang susunod na tatlong buwan. Mas lalalim ang inyong eyebags at mas sasakit ang mga likod n'yo sa ilang oras na pag-upo sa harap ng computer."
Thanks for killing the mood, boss!
The two-week break bored me. May ibinigay na projects ang Journalism professors ko, pero hindi 'yon sapat para ma-entertain ako. Man, I missed campus and all its issues! This might be an unpopular opinion, pero mas gugustuhin ko pang may pasok kami no'ng bakasyon. If the university had been open, I would have been here as if it's business as usual. Instead, I locked myself at home and wasted away for two weeks.
"As you all know, the student council elections are just around the corner," Nolan continued, pacing back and forth in front of the white board with his hands clasped behind him. "It's going to run for three months. Given the tension last year, expect it to be brutal. That's why we have to be prepared."
This would be my first time covering a student council race. Last year, I was just a spectator. This year, I got a front row seat to watch history unfold at Elysian University. Mas gugustuhin ko pang mag-cover ng corruption scandal kaysa subaybayan ang mga estudyanteng mag-asta bilang trapo at mangako ng too-good-to-be-true promises.
Luckily, politics here was not as boring as in other schools. Sa ibang university, iisang party lang ang tumatakbo every year at walang nag-o-oppose sa kanila kaya automatic winners na sila. Castiel and Alaric deserved our gratitude for spicing up the race. I was on the edge of my seat watching their moves and countermoves. It almost reached a crescendo last November, but it ended in a whimper due to Castiel's personal tragedy. If not for that, the campus would have been ablaze.
"If you've been following the news, you'll know that the incumbent USC president is likely running for reelection," Nolan explained, writing Priam Torres' name on the board and then another name beside it. "We can also assume that Alaric Esteban is also running. There's no confirmation yet, but they're the top two contenders so far."
"Are we considering Fabienne Lucero?" asked my fellow news reporter, acknowledged by our editor. "May mga narinig akong bulungan na may nagko-convince sa kaniyang tumakbo sa pagka-USC president."
