Written by Ezra Estrañero and the Variations editorial board
March 15 marks the second year since we left Makiling. There was an emergency assembly in the cafeteria that day. They told us there were rising COVID-19 cases in NCR, and that we were to be sent home as more and more parents called in. We packed our bags thinking we’d come back in a week.
Whenever I check the schedule for classes, I like to imagine what it would be like if we were in Makiling at that moment. At 6:30 am, we’d be walking up to the cafeteria to eat breakfast. We’d pass by other Ibarang and greet each other in sleepy voices. At 7:00 am we would have barely made it to class. We’ll greet Kuya Jaf when we get to the school area and we would smile apologetically to Sir Abuan when we pass by the faculty room. We’d spend the morning in B.E classes coming up with small skits and performances for our outputs and then rush to the co-op during recess to try and get turon from Ate Joan before it ran out. We’d peer into Naga’s cage and sit on the tables under Acacia. By 12:30 pm, our bags would be lined up by the side of the road while we waited for the bus to go back up to the dorm area for lunch. We’d hear the first notes to the birthday song from the piano in the cafe and everyone would automatically clap to greet the celebrant. Each table would be full, with extra chairs squeezed in to fit a whole batch. We’d all try to squeeze a nap in before 2pm arts class. We’d all be dressed in arts attire as we waited for the trips and we’d be anxious, jittery, and excited all at once. We’d perform as best as we can. There’d be good days and bad days and we’d share our stories over dinner, on the stairway, in the dorms. And we’d do it all over again, with no two days ever the same.
In the duration of the pandemic, we have welcomed two new batches into our Ibarang community, Batch Francisco-Mañosa (2026) and Batch Kidlat-Tahimik (2027). Unfortunately, we have yet to share Makiling with them. So here are pieces of Makiling that we carry with us everyday, to remind us that our mountain is never too far for us to be able to share and create memories together.
Rilke Arguelles, Grade 10, Creative Writing
Gagawa ng bii~log, gagawa ng bii~log! This was taken from Batch Reyesiano’s farewell party called Alis in Wonderland! One of the things I miss most about Makiling are its people and its flashy parties – yung sunduan and the themed venue na pinaghirapan ng hosting batch, all the pictorial sessions, the Ibarangs in their best costumes; all the wild neon lights, the boosted music and the band, the adrenaline and the food, and of course, the powerful rave circles and touching slow dances! More importantly, super saya lang na mag-enjoy at magwalwal kasama yung mga taong nagpagod kasama mo, at sumuporta at tumulong sa iyo (and vice-versa) for the past few difficult months of studying and rehearsing and the likes. Makiling work is challenging to keep up with, pero walang katumbas yung lugod when there are celebrations like these with the people you grow to hold very dear.
Sophia Reyes, Grade 11, Creative Writing
Ito yung isa sa mga litrato ko ng NAC nung Sportsfest 2018. 3rd day na ata nito, yung huling araw ng games at activities bago mag-awarding ceremony kinaumagahan. Maraming nakapila kasi start na ng hunger games, at nakaabang ang lahat sa bus. Pagod ang lahat pero oks lang kasi naging masaya ang araw, pati tapos na ang lahat ng planning at preparations at makakapagpahinga na.
Isa yun sa mga paborito kong alaala sa Makiling. In general, pagkatapos ng event o recital, at andun ang lahat ng Ibarang. Maraming nagkukuwentuhan, yung iba naglalakad lang, meron ding nakahiga sa daan o nakasandal sa pader. Usually ang ingay sa umpisa habang nagsisilabasan ang mga tao, tapos tatahimik na rin hanggang dumating yung bus paakyat sa dorm area hehe. Ang laking gaan sa pakiramdam ng presence ng buong Ibarang, at yun din yung pinakahinahanap ko ngayon. Dito kumukuha ng lakas.
Zia Palomar, Grade 11, Visual Arts
Basic education classes are just as special as arts classes.
This photo was taken by my groupmate during my 3rd year in Makiling in our Economics class. We were in the process of creating earrings to sell for a project. Projects in Basic Education classes can be tiring and time-consuming, but they can feel the most fun when you are with people you enjoy being with, especially when you choose to balance the work with some chikahan!
It’s one of the projects we had that will always hold a place in my heart because around this point, I had connected greatly with my batchmates from other majors and with the environment of the mountain itself. As a kid who has been stuck in the same school and place my whole life before Makiling, being able to work with students my age from different art fields and backgrounds taught me so much about cooperation and connection with other people! It’s that kind of happy and humbling experience that just makes me miss seeing my batchmates in the flesh. Really makes me miss all the hugs and laughs we had often!
Daniel Ben, Grade 12, Creative Writing
If there’s anything I miss in Makiling, it’s definitely the fun that comes with studying on a mountain. There’s so much walking, but you’ll learn to love it. Walking down to the school area with your close friends, chatting amid the chirping of birds. That feeling of the wind as you run down the hills, hair in your face, just to catch the flag ceremony so you won’t be marked as late. It’s the small moments that I miss. The kind of memories you’ll make that don’t necessarily come out as exceptional, but you’ll come back to and remember fondly in reunions. How Ibarang road becomes a river on rainy days, the cracking and apologies to the snails you’ve stepped on. Take of Maria Makiling, she’ll reward you and your friends with pretty flowers and butterflies, and hopefully take it down a notch in the rare gamu-gamo storms.
Miggy Alcala, Grade 11, Visual Arts
Sunsets in Makiling will always hold a special place in my heart. This photo was taken after a very long and exhausting work week after working on recitals and graduating productions. My friends always know that whenever the sun starts to set around 5 or 6 in the evening, it is essential for me to take a quick photo. The sunsets in Makiling is something I miss the most because it gives me a sense of comfort and a reminder that it is time to rest or at least breathe after a very long day. It also gives me energy to recenter and ground myself, to continue what I love to do everyday. I find them very beautiful and feel like a warm, validating hug from Maria.
This is also the time where my friends and I start to unwind and get to talk about our day and how we are, while we wait for the bus to come pick us up to eat dinner. Sunsets remind me of the friendships I built throughout my stay on the mountain; warm, sweet, and comforting. Because the friendships I made in Makiling have been the best and I will treasure those memories for a lifetime, they truly left a handprint on my heart. I am made of memories, we are made of memories.
Sidney Lampayan, Grade 11, Creative Writing
The thing I miss most about Makiling, aside from the beautiful scenery and the education, is the fact that I can’t spend time with my friends. Being in Makiling can be frightening, since for most students, it is the first time you’re away from home and family. You’re scared, frightened, nervous. That’s why having a friend group to support you is one of the most important things in life. I am very fortunate to have close friends -- my majormates -- who have been here for me, through thick and thin, through times where, if I were in their shoes, I would have already given up on me. I have also made other friends from different majors and year levels. The community in Makiling -- the Ibarang -- has always been one of its strongest points in what makes Makiling home.
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