The scheme intended to deceive or outwit passengers in Manila Airport has already been reported by few passengers. Unfortunately, if you are the victim during a security check, you will deal with this difficult situation.

At the security control area, during the inspection of your suitcases or other bags for traveling using the X-ray scanner, the airport officers will tell you to go the other side and order you to open your luggage. One of the security officers is wearing gloves and checks your luggage then they will immediately found bullets inside your bag.

No passenger will truly travel with bullet in their luggage. Then questions will pop up here. The officers will bring you to their office where you will be asked to pay an amount in order to release you. In case you refuse to pay, they will hold you as long as they want until you follow what they want.

This kind of tactics is very alarming and passengers should be extra careful. Based on the report, passengers are advised to cover their luggage with plastic or duct tape before they check-in to avoid this kind of issue in Manila airport. Seal your hand baggage in order for officers not to extend their hands in your bag during X-ray scan. If you wish to open your bag, be very observant to the airport officers.

J. Dela Cruz

The Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival (Hangang Yeouido Spring Flower Festival) opened on April 10, 2015.

Since the cherry blossoms opened earlier than the expected date, the festival also open a few days earlier than last year. This festival started 2005, making April 10, 2015, its 11^th anniversary. The festival is one of the most beautiful in Seoul and can be enjoyed only in spring. There were tens of thousands of people in Yeouido on this day to enjoy the weather and, of course, the cherry blossoms! The fragrant scent of the trees, the warm spring sunshine, and the gentle breeze combined to create that perfect but fleeting condition to announce the beginning of spring for all in attendance.

At the start of the festival road, temporary traffic control systems were set to facilitate the smooth flow of massive numbers. The path was lined with a diverse range of food items, events, and shows. TV and radio broadcasting networks were seen to replay the event to get more people to come and enjoy the festival. People filled the road, taking pictures after pictures with their family members and friends. Couples in love were commonly seen throughout the path. The festival was a smashing success in bringing people joy and happiness as well as reviewed vitality for the new year ahead. The festival ended April 15.

For those who could not make it, there is always next year!

Jadon Han

Unseen Scars:

The psychological effects of bullying, among other things

Mar W.

Among the multitude of tiny scabs and cuts we’ve garnered as children, we all have at least one or two invisible scars—flecked on our skin by the painful experience that is bullying.

Most people grow up and move on from the torture, but there are still people who hold it inside themselves—the pressure weighing down on them as time passes. There are even some who cannot handle the pressure, and resolve their problems by simply ending their lives.

Although, suicide isn’t the only trouble that bullying brings. There are some people who grow up to be insecure and have a low self-esteem. The pressure that bullying brings can deteriorate a person’s social skills—which could sometimes lead to depression. Bullying may as well be equivalent to a disease as it slowly eats you inside.

Millions of people over the world have been campaigning against bullying for a very long time now. But standing around in the heat of the sun, waving signs that read “No to bullying!” or making videos and petitions online cannot change the mind of bullies fully.

To destroy the high walls of bullying, it must be done little by little.

What causes this, anyway? Is it because bullying suddenly became a trend, or because it would make someone look “badass” or “cool”? Well, yes and no—there are a lot of people who do it because it was done once to them, or because they feel insecure about themselves—and most of the time, because they are afraid that this person may be something more than they are.

The bottom line is that bullying affects us all—victims and perpetrators. There is no other way out of the tunnel, that is—unless we all decide that enough is enough and we work not just to get rid of bullying, but also to help each other recover from the scars inflicted upon all of us.

Image source: http://www.nurturingparentsandteachers.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/BullyingPhoto-5.jpg