Kalasaglahi

| To Women and Beyond

Amanda Nguyễn, a 34-year-old civil rights activist, was a part of the NS-31 mission during April 2025. At 22, she was an aspiring astronaut and studied astrophysics at Harvard University. At this point, her life was going as planned, but in a turn of events, she was r***d and assaulted during a party. In an instant, it felt like her assault was the breaking point that would ruin her entire life plan and career. When she learned how the system treated r**e victims, it ignited a realization in her that she could do something to change it.
She continued to persevere, fighting for women’s rights and continuing her advocacy. In 2014, Amanda founded an organization in an endeavor to provide adequate justice for r**e survivors around the world. Her organization, Rise, was able to pass the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act. Through her efforts, she was nominated for the 2019 Nobel Prize and became a candidate to join Blue Origin’s NS-31 mission. This achievement was meant to be celebrated and, for Amanda, a dream come true, yet it became subject to public criticism for having elitists on the mission. It was criticized for being out of touch, but it overshadowed the true significance of what this space trip meant to Amanda.
It has become impossible for women to live freely from discrimination when it is invisible to the arrogance of society. The backlash caused Amanda severe depression when this major event in her life was supposed to be the highest point in her career. It was meant to be a milestone stone through her journey as a victim of r**e, a civil rights activist, and now an astronaut, but the accomplishment was buried under hatred.
Although misfortune had its course, Amanda did not let these moments of struggle define who she was. It became part of her history, and perseverance fueled her burning passion for what she believes in. Amanda did not stay silent; she became the voice of those who could not speak out. Her advocacy challenges the injustice in r**e cases and the intolerance of society. Amanda Nguyễn became a staple for survivors of sexual assault. Her story did not impose vulnerability but displayed eagerness to serve as an inspiration to those who can empathize with it and help sexual assault survivors from the unjust system. A woman’s hardships do not make her any weaker; they are the true measure of her strength.

🖼: Yuri Regencia
✍️: Isabella Sabanal

| ADVOCATES FOR DIVORCE: Rights to Enforce

Aside from Vatican City, the Philippines remains the only country in the world that has not legalized divorce. Though annulment is legal, only a small percentage of the Philippines’ “separated” marriages have filed for it, due to the lack of accessibility and time taken for the process.

In recent years, numerous bills have been put forward in the field of divorce. The most relevant being Senate Bill 147, otherwise known as the Dissolution of Marriages Act. Introduced by Risa Hontiveros, it primarily aims to give women and children the freedom to leave abusive households and relationships to start anew.

However, due to religious beliefs and mass stigma over the concept of legal divorce, advancements in this field have been continuously pushed back by the masses. They argue that the approval of divorce means the abuse of it, going against the faith that marriage is sacred.

However, in a world where women still fight for the same rights as their ancestors, is divorce truly something they will only abuse? If men can disappear from the mother of their child’s life, a woman should be able to hold the choice of leaving, not just as a choice, but as a right.

Risa Hontiveros, Divorce Pilipinas Coalition, and the women who fight for these rights today are not the first. But by the end of this eclipse in justice, their impact will last. It is up to us—you, the viewer, to listen to their voice.

🖼: Madeline Sapao
✍️: Caitlin Pineda

MALIGAYANG PASKU 🌟

Malugod namin kayong binabati ng isang Maligayang Pasko! Kasangga ang Sangguniang Mag-aaral, ang Kalasaglahi ay nagsagawa ng community outreach sa Porac, Pampanga. Noong Disyembre 15, kami'y nagbigay ng mga Noche Buena packages at mga school essentials sa 41 elementary students ng Diaz Elementary School. Bukod pa rito, kami'y nangasiwa ng iba't ibang laro at aktibidad na siyang naglagay ng ngiti sa mukha ng bawat bata. Nawa'y nakapagbigay kami ng kahit munting kasiyahan sa bawat mag-aaral ng Diaz Elementary School.

Ngayong Pasko, hindi lamang natin ipinapagdiriwang ang makabuluhang pagtatapos ng 2025 kundi tayo'y naghahangad din para sa matagumpay na pagsisimula ng susunod na taon. Muli, isang "Maligayang Pasku" mula sa Kalasaglahi! 🎄✨🎁

✍️: Nicole Aquino
🖼️: Madeline Sapao
📸: PSHS CLC Sangguniang Mag-aaral