Given na iyon parati. Kapag Iskolar, liban sa matalino, karamihan ay galing sa hindi gaanong nakaaalwang pamilya. Subalit dala na rin ng pangarap na makaahon sa buhay, pinipilit ng mag-aaral na makatapos.

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Sa kultura at pangaraw-araw na buhay sa PUP, haharapin mo ang katakut-takot na gastos para sa iba't ibang requirement ng mga professor mo. Kaya masasabi talagang hindi madaling gawin para sa mga estudyante ang tinatawag nilang "badyet". (SFX: sigaw ng mga aktibista, "PUP budget, 'di sapat!")

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Eh, sa ganyang set-up, paano pa kaya nakapagtatabi ang mga PUPian para sa kanilang panlaman-tiyan?

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Noong una, hindi ko rin alam kung paano. Para kasing mahirap. Sa pamasahe pa lang, wala na. Said na agad ang baon. Dagdag pa nga ang mga pinapagawa ng mga propesor. Naisip ko rati, magugutom yata ako sa paaralang ito.

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Pero alam naman nating lahat na mali ako.

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Malabo. Malabong magutom ang sinuman sa PUP. Sa Teresa pa lang, magsasawa ka na sa mga maaaring pagbilhan ng makakain. Mula sa lahat ng uri ng street foods gaya ng kwek-kwek, calamares, fishball, squidball, chickenball, kikiam, hotdog... ewan ko na lang kung hindi pa mapunan ang gutom mo ng ganyang uri ng mga pagkain.

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Pagpasok mo naman sa Main Building, hindi uso 'yong mauubusan ng maipanglalaman sa tiyan. Dahil sa ground floor ng North at East Wing pa lang nito, solb na ang gutom mo. At sa murang halaga pa.

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Nandiyan ang hilera ng mga makakainan, pabonggahan pa ng offer bawat stall--student meal with rice; student meal, dalawang ulam plus rice; clubhouse sandwich with free drink; lahat ng diskarte sa hotdog; egg sandwich at buko juice--seryosong wala kang mairereklamo.

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Sa Sampaguita, meron din. Gaya ng mga nasa Food Court sa North at East Wing ang mga tinitinda rito. Bahala na ang mga Iskolar kung saan nila gusto.

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Lumabas naman tayo sa Main. Sa mga kolehiyo ng COC, CEA, IoT at CTHRM, masasabing mayroon ding iba't ibang klase ng pamimili ng pagkain bawat Iskolar.

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Kung tutuusin naman, sa lahat-lahat, kahanga-hanga ang kultura ng mga taga-PUP pagdating sa pagkain. Sa kabila kasi ng pagiging magkakaiba ng mga kinamulata at preference ng mga estudyante sa unibersidad na ito, nakatutuwang isipin na natatagpuan ng mga mag-aaral ang mga pagkaing sakto sa hilig, nais at bulsa nila.

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Mula sa pinakasimpleng Iskolar, hanggang sa masasabing pinakasosyal (at kung minsa'y pinakamaarte na rin, meron at meron silang matatagpuan makakainan na maglalaman sa kanilang mga sikmura. ###

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Food In Focus: COC​

​Rapunzel and Aling Panget

What makes College of Communication's Food Amazing

​​By Arra Czarina Igno​

 

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​​"Pabili po, Aling Rapunzel!"

You usually hear this from the COCians who buy from the nothing-but-just-plain-epic  elavated sari-sari store which is commonly known as ​Tindahan ni Rapunzel. Probably there's no other college out there which has the same set-up inside its premises: a store attached on the college's wall.

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The store is owned by one of the locals within the vicinity of COC. Since it is a college filled with hungry and quite lazy students on the other side of the wall where they reside, I suppose that it is a brilliant idea to put up something like that.

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Not only that the idea is clever and amusing, it also provides convenience for the students. I mean, who will not be amazed by the fact that there's such a store where you would have to raise your face first before get accommodated?

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The culture inside COC is about students studying their wits out and trying their very best to showcase their talents both at the same time. It is not easy indeed--it requires a lot of energy and effort.

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With that said, it is given that students in this particular college will prefer the easiest way possible in compelling with their primary needs.

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​And Rapunzel's sari-sari store just answers that whim.

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​Aling Rapunzel's store located at the far west side of the College of Communication.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

​But it's not just Rapunzel's store which adds color to the everyday lives of the COCians.

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There goes another store located just side by side with Rapunzel's. It is known to the students as Aling Panget's store.

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jUnlike Rapunzel's, hers is not elavated on the wall. Nevertheless, it is still unique. Aling Panget's store is a makeshift one that is just accesible to the students because the wall between the house and college is holed out. The space is too narrow, you will not believe that it is actually a store.

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You can order pancit canton here--that is, if you are way to hungry to settle for mere snacks. Why it was called as "Aling Panget's store" is still a mystery.

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​The writer at Aling Panget's store. It is located just beside Rapunzel's.

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Both of these stores did not fail to amuse me as I was just starting out my schooling in COC. It is plain fascinating when you find out that such weirdly crafted stores exist in a college where people are already kind of weird.

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And as form me, these two are what made COC food culture amazing. ###

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