HANDURAW
Editor-in-Chief
Ava Donalie A. Ferolino
Associate Editor
Krisha Faye A. Gascon
Managing Editor-Administration
Kimberly G. Capuyan
Managing Editor-Finance
John Kherwin A. Pansacala
Creative Director
Narvie Klaryzze B. Borja
News Editor
Maria Cristina G. Lamug
Opinion Editor
Lylle Antonette A. Flores
Literary Editor
Louise Lambiquit
Features Editor
Kristianna Amor M. Tagsip
Sports Editor
Ceraley S. Cabiltes Jr.
Online Editor / Layout Artist
Krista Marie B. Yaoyao
Co-Online Editor / Layout Artist
Therese Margarette A. Racaza
Broadcast Manager
Ma. Ehla Fatima C. Inanod
Co-Broadcast Manager / Illustrator
Khen B. Fernandez
IT Administrator / Videographer
Raghnall P. Cena
Property Administrator / Photographer
Kimberly O. Tumilap
Art Director / Photographer
Gabrielle Marie R. Paradiang
Writers
Trixcy D. Clar
Sharry M. Cuizon
Regem Mae V. Rivera
Illustrators
Sienna Rio E. Young
Karina Adel A. Vestil
Heron Augustus S. Flores
Hannah Vanessa O. Mondilla
Photographers
Yasu M. Al-dawood
Vince Praxie C. Nu ñez
Publication Adviser
Ms. Cindy R. Limalima
Moderator
Rev. Fr. Vicente L. Ramon Jr., OAR
As children, it became an unspoken rule that we’d grow out of it— out of the things we loved too loudly, the colors we wore too often, the softness, the childlike wonder.
But growing was never that simple. And life never unfolded in a straight line. It felt more like being caught in a surge—messy, consuming, and constantly asking for parts of us we weren’t ready to give away.
The tides tried to rewrite us; nevertheless, we remain.
With this third installment of HANDURAW, we are tracing the shorelines of our youth once more. We are coming back to the dazzling colors we once claimed as ours, and the stories and films that still offer the only sanctuary we recognize. We spent years trying to be “new,” only to realize our most authentic selves were simply waiting to be rekindled.
It’s a strange, beautiful paradox, isn’t it? To be swept by the currents, to be eroded by expectations yet staying true to who you were meant to be. You weathered the storms that tried to tear you apart, only to realize that every fragment of you belongs together, whole. You are a mosaic of everything you’ve survived, and through it all, the core of your heart is unchanged.
As you look through these pages, look closely at yourself, too. You might have gone far, but you really haven’t left yourself behind. Despite the years, despite the weight, and despite all…it’s still you.
Narvie Klaryzze Borja Creative Director
Nevertheless, the regular sections of HANDURAW beckons creators to wander through the feeling of rediscovery—revisiting what once was and reclaiming the origins of their being.
Together, these sections weave a dreamlike constellation of remembering and reliving lingering memories.
Despite the weight of all the selves you had to become, survive
As you acknowledge its presence, and the journey it puts you th morality you wrestle with, it’ll lead your way to the person wh
Because no matter what you’ve been through, you remain—albeit,
visuals by Karina Adel A. Vestil, Gabrielle Marie R. Paradiang, & Narvie Klaryzze B. Borja
Returning
by
Amidst the wanting and the giving, time only wanders...
Karina Adel A. Vestil
words by Krisha Faye A. Gascon
to return at last,
to your very first wonder.
Sa Dulo
by Raghnall P. Cena
words by Louise Lambiquit
Ni pangarap sa sistemang napag-iwanan ay nakalatay, sa daloy, ang tanging hangad ay silayang tagumpay.
Nasa silangan man ang siyang tanawin, ang silab sa puso’y nagniningning pa rin, sa bayang hinagpis sa lupit at pighati, ay wagas ko pa rin na ipagbubunyi.
downpour
by Therese Margarette A. Racaza
words by Ceraley S. Cabiltes Jr. drip, drip, drip—
What was once a drizzle turned into a torrential rain of pressure upon my being.
Left alone, left to take it on, left to bear it all.
—tap, tap, tap.
Then there, a parasol of my hopes and aspirations appeared—my past self.
T’was a reminder to continue forward.
Dawn
as the Damned
Dawn as the Damned
by Heron Augustus S. Flores
words by John Kherwin A. Pansacala
In this hierarchy of survival, the weak grasp of the barest needs,
But the forest answers with teeth: the greedy take what they can, the fragile endure what they must.
Then, the hunt begins.
Now I walk with shattered needs, learning that peace is something wounded things must grow themselves.
Paglaum
by Vince Praxie C. Nuñez words
Sa silangan dumadaloy, pag-asang kumakapit; sa tulong, ipagpatuloy, patungo sa hilagang dapit.
Pagguho ng lupa, iyak ng mga bata, panalangin ng mga matatanda.
Bagkus mas mahirap manatili sa dilim, siyang pag-asa’y kinikimkim pa rin.
Pangakong napako sa sakuna, pagbabago’y hinihintay ng madla.
by Lylle Antonette A. Flores
Pabili po, Lola
by Khen B. Fernandez
Mga palad kong parating walang dala—piso, bato, at dahon lamang ang kaya. Kahit ano na, basta lang at makabili ng tsokolate mula kay Lola.
Sa bawat balot ay ramdam ko ‘di lang ang sarap kundi pati na rin ang kanyang mahigpit na mga yakap.
Ngayon ko lang napagtanto na ang palad kong noo’y parating walang dala ay lagi palang puno ng pagmamahal na mula kay Lola, kalakip sa tsokolate na hanggang ngayon ay aking nadarama.
words by Kristianna Amor M. Tagsip
the freedom of being
by Yasu M. Al-dawood
words by Ma. Ehla Fatima C. Inanod
Women of the world have hearts adorned, with a dazzling glow.
Tales of childhood, etched in crafts of pigtails, and vibrant dresses.
A brightly-lit love, ever close, and never fading.
Only longing for more; spikey hairstyles, mismatched socks, oversized shirts.
Because what is freedom then, if not your truest self?
Framed Proof
by Narvie Klaryzze B. Borja
At the center, I stand— surrounded by frames of who they say I am: capable, certain, competent. Doubt blurs my own reflection.
But the truth stays on the walls. Every frame was built by my hands. Impostor or not, the one in the middle made them all.
words by Maria Cristina G. Lamug
Remaining
by Hannah Vanessa O. Mondilla
The hour glides on, and with it the company of souls. They depart as dusk withdraws its light, leaving but a hush where voices once lingered.
Yet thou remain’st, unmoved in thy station, whilst the world beyond reshapes its passing scene. And in that stillness, thou persist.
Pray tell— Is steadfastness a fault, or merely a solitude few dare to keep?
words by Ava Donalie A. Ferolino
Sa Bawat Butil
by Kimberly O. Tumilap
words by Kimberly G. Capuyan
Sa bawat butil na dumarating sa hapag, may pawis na hindi kailanma’y kumukupas. Kulang kung sa mata’y pagmasdan.
Kataka-taka—
Kung sino pa ang nagpapakain sa bayan ay siyang unang nagugutom sa tahanan. Tahimik, at bihira pa’ng nasusuklian.
defiance in frame
by
Krista Marie B. Yaoyao
words by Trixcy D. Clar
the rigid margins cage the endless ink, and push the fierce defiance to the brink.
yet rising past the unrelenting grind, a wilder focus leaves the weight behind.
the shutter opens as the ledgers yield, nevertheless, she persists, lens as shield.
Still the way I am
by Sienna Rio E. Young
Past
“This is North, South, East, and West…”
“Hmmm…if I’m facing South, then my back is North.”
words by Sharry M. Cuizon
Present“Travel south, then turn west at the next intersection.”
“Okay, if I go South…that means I’m facing North, right?”
“Wait, why does this sound familiar?”
“In 100 meters, turn North onto Never Boulevard.”
“Never Boulevard? That sounds like a trap.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s where dreams and wrong turns go.”
“I swear I know the direction…I just don’t know where or how.”
“Because you got lost here last week.”
You’d come over, right?
by Gabrielle Marie R. Paradiang
I don’t even remember your face.
Only the echo of footsteps choosing the door over me.
Some nights I cried, hoping I could grieve you back into my life.
But if the world were ending, would you finally come? They say I have your eyes, I only wish I knew what they looked like.
words by Regem Mae V. Rivera
Animo
by Jims Allan S. Beronio | Josenian Contributor
words by Kristianna Amor M. Tagsip
Sa bawat dampi ng halik ng araw, sa bawat bulong ng simoy ng hangin, at bawat bakas sa lupa, ay yapak ng walang hanggang buhay dito sa mundo.
Na kahit na minsan ang daloy ay mahirap at magulo. Gayunpaman, mayroon pa ring animo, kahit mahigpit ang mundo.
pieced back in color
by Axle Andra Marie B. Sumalpong | Josenian Contributor
words by Maria Cristina G. Lamug
I paint what I feel in colors that broke, shards turn to light with every stroke. This brush builds me, soft, bright, and new, from broken pieces, I come through.
I kept redrawing myself, same face, different truths, No single version stayed, yet none were lies.
words by John Kherwin A. Pansacala
by Myryn Lynx O. Del Rosario | Josenian Contributor
And so, I am every color I’ve been, every line I crossed, as to love beyond frames is to love beyond names.
