The Garden Chronicle 2013 by Mike Santos

HEY NAILED IT... AGAIN! Felizardo C. Lipana National High School street dancers astounded the crowd after capturing victory to their collar in the 2014 Sining Pambansa contemporary street dance. They outperformed 12 competing schools at SM City Baliwag, September 13. They now advanced to Regional to be held on November 18 in Nueva Ecija. Daisy G. Cordero

FCLNHS equipped for int’l scene By Paolo C. Estrellado

ondary schools in which students learned Spanish, French and Japanese.

GEARED FOR THE GLOBAL BATTLE. Ms. Virginita Ibañez as she teaches Chinese-Mandarin as part of DepEd’s Special Program for Foreign Languages (SPFL).

ecause one is not enough, we added another. As part of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) program to bring widely-used languages into the education curriculum, Felizardo C. Lipana National High School (FCLNHS) adopted Special Program in Foreign Language (SPFL) for Grade 7 and 3rd year students this school year. The school principal, Mr. Edgardo J. Mendoza, appointed Ms.

Late execution While it appears to be a newfangled ground fashion of fostering the advancement of lexical skills in the said school, SPFL has actually been already adapted to certain campuses in the Philippines in different languages including Spanish, Japanese, German, among others. Mr. Mendoza, in line with this, argued that although FCLNHS embraced SPFL a little too late, “it [the program] serves as a headway for a bigger ground to break,” and he sees hope even after he maroons his post. “I am still auspicious that even though I’m o longer manning the school, programs like this [SPFL] would still find their true glory,” he added.

Ruth Cervantes and Ms. Virginita Ibañez as the ones in-charge of teaching Chinese-Mandarin after having completed the 2013 Summer Mandarin Training. Mr. Mendoza expressed felicity upon the selection of FCLNHS as one of the schools in Region III to adapt SPFL. “This is a great drift and an excellent notable progress in the development of linguistics and knowledge,” Mendoza maintained. The program called SPFL started in 2009 in select public sec-

Fluency development The said program envisions not only the students but also the teachers to develop multilingual fluency in a second or foreign language thus preparing the students for the foreseen global competition. Ms. Cervantes and Ms. Ibañez will join other delegates for a follow-through Region III SPFL-Chinese Mandarin immersion in Shanghai, China next summer as per the invitation of the Confucius Institute at Angeles University Foundation (CIAUF).

With mean percentage of 65.05

FCLNHS places 11th in NAT Division Ranking

THE NEW FORERUNNER. Dr. Romeo M. Alip with Dr. Isabelita Borres as he swears into the office as the new Superintendent of Schools of the Department of Education - Division of Bulacan.

Alip assumes Division Office

By Sheryl E. Amar

he Department of Education-Bulacan is getting a new Division Superintendent this year as Dr. Edna Santos-Zerrudo holds another position in the division of Nueva Ecija, Cabanatuan City. Dr. Romeo M. Alip assumed the DepEd Division of Bulacan office last December 12, 2012 as the new superintendent of schools in the province of Bulacan. Dr. Alip, in an SMS interview, blissfully shared, “I am more than gratified to have been chosen as the new superintendent of this division. With more than five years of being the superintendent of Malolos and Bataan, I think I have the credibility to man the whole district.” Educational attainments Dr. Alip finished his tertiary education in Magsaysay Memorial College with Bachelor of Science in Education as his course, his Master’s Degree in Columban College and Doctor of Philosophy in Angeles University Foundation. He is currently the president of Philippine Association of Schools Superintendents and Central Luzon Association of School Superintendents and attended the Management Development Program for Department of

the division conference at SM City Event Center, SM City Baliwag, Baliwag, Bulacan last August 7. With more than 500 4th year students who braved the examination, FCLNHS ranked 6th in Mathematics and 7th in English. “Maganda’tong ranking natin. It is good that we see the light of day that we do not only excel in the

Annual promotion He has been serving the education industry since 1987 as a permanent Classroom Teacher I in San Felipe, Zambales and since then, he has been being promoted with a maximum of three-year margin until he becomes a permanent Head Teacher III for one year in the same school. In 1998, Dr. Alip became a temporary Education Supervisor II at DECSRO III, Pampanga for one and a half year before holding a post in the DepEd Division of Bataan as the new permanent Assistant Schools Division Superintendent on August 30, 1999.

at work

very context of athletics but even academics,” Mr. Edgardo J. Mendoza, Principal III asserted. Of final term and legacy Furthermore, Mr. Mendoza, interrogated about his tenure as the principal of the school, maintained that this notable ranking “serves as one of his legacies.”

Accolades Dr. Alip has also been the recipient of many accolades including “Pagkilala at Pasasalamat sa Masikhay at Mapagkalingang Paglilingkod” (Recognition and Appreciation of an Assiduous and Compassionate Leadership award) on December 17, 2007 and the “Meritorious and Outstanding Service Rendered to the Organization (Boy Scout of the Philippines)” awarded on May 25, 2011.

I N S I D E

By Jovie A. Prado

ur academic inclination will never be put to rest. Ranking in at 11th place with a mean average of 65.05 in the Division ranking of the National Achievement Test (NAT) achievers for year 4, FCLNHS has been dubbed as one of the high performing public secondary schools in the Division of Bulacan during

Education on November 21, 2008 in Asian Institute of Management, Manila.

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A tireless, timeless leader

Enlivening dying heart cells

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News

Mendoza attends 6th Foreign language conference

AS EASY AS 1+1. Math wizards bare proof that their arithmetical excellence remains untainted after positioning the school on a high pedestal rest.

By Paolo C. Estrellado

HITTING GREATER HEIGHTS. Mr. Edgardo J. Mendoza attends the Language Conference which was headed by Dr. Lolita M. Andrada, Director IV-DepEd Central Office.

especting the execution of the Special Program in Foreign Language (SPFL) for Grade 7 and 3rd year students, Mr. Edgardo J. Mendoza, Principal III, attended the 6th Language Conference for Implementers of SPFL on August 12 - 14 at the Tagaytay International Convention Center, Tagaytay City. The said seminar aims to orient the Region III school heads on the gist of carrying out SPFL effectively, as part of DepEd’s program to prepare the students in the international scene through teach-

ing them the most widely-used languages, including Spanish, French, Chinese-Mandarin and the recently-added German language, to cite more. “These kinds of events are really beneficial to all concerned. This two-day discussion shed genuine light on how SPFL should be implemented,” shared Mr. Mendoza. The conference is aimed at providing avenues for the sharing of proficient skills and career opportunities and strengthening the instructive connections among the

schools who acquired the said program. This is to further prepare students for meaningful interaction in a linguistic and culturally diverse global workplace. The said globalization of workplaces for which the secondary education students are being prepared, the DepEd deems it expedient to bring forth other languages back in the curriculum. Mr. Mendoza is one of only two school heads in the Division of Bulacan among the 185 participants who attended the conference, along with the principal of Mariano Ponce National High School.

On its mission to obliterate 59 detainees mountainous waste materials Under the aegis of Kabanyuhay

rescued

By Franxis Alliah A. Bernabe

n its mission to become an exponent of academic progression, Bulacan State University Extension Services Office (BSUESO) rendered help to the Bulacan Provincial Jail (BPJ) detainees by hosting the 6th commencement exercises of ESO’s Kalinga sa Bagong Anyo ng Buhay (Kabanyuhay) Program last May 23. With the theme, “Education for All,” Kabanyuhay had championed 19 detainees in virtue of the Alternative Learning System Accreditation Equivalency Test and Examination (ALS-A&E). Seventeen detainees successfully obtained a high school diploma and two from the elementary basic curriculum. Another set of detainees include 21 women who were instructed on flower arrangement and 19 men on cellphone-repairing technology. Percival Del Rosario, an outstanding ALS learner in high school said, “Mas may direksyon na ang buhay ko ngayon, gusto kong magpatuloy ng Education o kahit na anong course na may kinalaman sa English sa BSU dahil ito lang ang nakikita kong paraan para agad akong makapag-bagong buhay.” Course of action College of Education (CoEd) mans ALS, the literacy program in which professors give services through teaching by freewill. The said program which was implemented in 2007 adapted the ALS program of DepEd. ALS learners will take ALS-A&E given by the Bureau of Alternative Learning System to see if the learner qualifies right after passing the preliminary examination prior to the ALS accreditation. Fulfilling odyssey “Iba pa rin ang pakiramdam na makatulong sa kanila [BPJ detainees], it is more about giving them what we receive,” shared ESO Director Amy Santos. ESO developed the ‘Kabanyuhay’ program to meet its advocacy to bestow services to the less privileged people and the underprivileged sectors of the society.

Guiguinto pioneers waste management By Jovie A. Prado

he Municipality of Guiguinto, in conjunction with the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO) is currently hoarding solid waste products and garbage that are not in proper segregation from households, small and large business premises, whether industrial or agricultural within the peripherals of Guiguinto. Respecting the initiation of the Ecological Waste Management Program of the municipality, Guiguinto is now on the phase of environmental cultivation and proper wastage program in compliance with the Municipal Ordinance No. 039 which aims to encourage Guiguinteños to properly segregate waste materials and the Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000. The biodegradable will be collected daily while the recyclables be classified and collected thrice a week. According to Engr. Sudan Carreon of MENRO, there are more

than 13 billion bags issued every year to shoppers across the world, plastic bags kill up to one million sea creatures every year. On average, each plastic bag is being used for 12 minutes before being discarded. An average of 46,000 pieces of plastic debris in every square mile of ocean and only one percent of the plastic bags produced globally are recycled each year. She added that the factors affecting the large-scaled waste problem are the rapid population growth statistics, the public lack of concern, the brisk urbanization and our changing lifestyles and consumption patterns. The main goal of this program is to diminish the escalating number of generated waste products in each district of Guiguinto. The implementation of proper separation of recyclables, biodegradables, and non-biodegradables will be further heightened by the “No segregation, No collection” program of the municipality.

TOWARDS A MORE DISCIPLINED GUIGUINTEÑO. Engr. Sudan C. Carreon takes the trail as she educates Guiguinteños on the proper waste disposal.

Math wizards dominate MATHCOM ’13 Y By Jacquie L. Java

oung math wizards of FCLNHS brought home the much-coveted bacon after outwitting different public secondary schools in EDDIS and Division Level, September 9th and 17th, respectively at Masagana High School in Pandi and San Francisco Xavier High School, San Francisco, Bulakan, Bulacan. The math victors in the EDDIS Level include Kenneth Gravamen of Grade 7 - Sampaguita who secured the 1st spot; Brian Dela Torre of Grade 8 - Diamond who nabbed the 2nd place; Jeremy Seda of III - Gold who placed 2nd and Charlene Hernandez from IV - Rizal who grabbed the 3rd seat. FCLNHS was hailed as the second highest pointer out of 23 public secondary schools in EDDIS II. “Natutuwa ako da hil naging annual celebration na ‘yong nagiging epekto ng pagkapanalo ng mga panlaban natin,” Mrs. Loida Hilario, Mathematics Head Teacher happily held. Asked about what he felt about the victory, Gravamen maintained, “Masaya [ako] na nakapasok ako at 1st place pa. Sana mas marami pang maipanalo ang school sa Mathematics competitions.” Consistency This is not the first time that FCLNHS’s math wizards knocked big in Math competitions. In 2012, the school even ranked 5th school highest pointer in the Division Level after Dela Torre caught the 5th seat; Seda at 4th; Hernandez at 3rd and Rozenn Hernandez, an FCLNHS alumna, secured the 6th position. “We don’t fail at least kahit sa top 5. Naging [winning streak] na ‘yung nananalo tayo sa MATHCOM. Minsan na ‘rin tayong na-rank 1. We are aiming again na makuha ‘yon.” Mrs. Hilario, with conviction, said.

Estrellado nabs bronze in Technolympics P By Aaron Andrei R. Evangelista

aolo Estrellado, Student Government President, landed 3rd in the 2013 Technolympics (Information and Communications Technology) Web Page Designing Category at Next Generation Technological College (NGTC), Tabang, Plaridel, Bulacan last September 6. Estrellado floored seven contestants from different schools in Plaridel. “No’ng tinawag ako as 3rd placer, natuwa ako. Hindi ko in-expect na manalo dahil parang ang hina o walang panlaban ‘yong ginawa ko that time. Pero nagpapasalamat pa ‘rin ako [kasi nanalo ako],” he maintained. Estrellado received a full scholarship program from NGTC of any two-year course and a certificate of recognition. “Magandang daan ito [upang] magkaro’n tayo ng mas marami pang computer literates sa bansa. Instrumental din ito para mas lalo tayong maging ready to travel abroad. Mahirap ‘yung wala kang digital awareness,” he added.

Staffers lose momentum Though three still managed to fetch glory By Joey Anne C. Uy

t is not a good catch; it may be extremely elusive. Only three among 12 participants made it to the Division Level after collaring spots in EDDIS II Secondary Schools Press Conference which took place at Jose J. Mariano High School, Bintog, Plaridel, Bulacan, August 14-16. The winners include Sheryl E. Amar, IV - Rizal, who ranked 10th in Copy reading and Headline Writing category; Jonathan Delos Santos, IV Rizal, at 2nd in Pagsulat ng Lathalain (Feature Writing) category and; Rina Litte Ang, IV - Rizal, 9th placer in Pagsulat ng Editoryal (Editorial Writing). Asked about what he felt about the “almost-there” victory, Delos Santos shared, “Sobrang okay na ‘rin ‘yung maging 2nd placer sa sobrang dami ng mga kalaban ko from private and public schools.” Delos Santos further added that he was losing so much hope in the midst of the announcement of winners, “Feeling ko talaga hindi na ‘ko mananalo kase kakaunti pa lang ‘yung [mga] natatawag [sa amin].” Momentum brought ‘round Despite the far-flung victory that the staffers nicked during the EDDIS Level, two Filipino staffers still managed to snatch laurels in the Division Level with the theme, “Campus Journalism and Transformational Leadership,” from October 8 to 9 and 11 at San Rafael National Trade School (Extension Campus). Ang bagged 9th place in Editorial Writing category while Delos Santos carried the 5th spot although not having been able to put final touches on his warm-up article entitled “Ang Hinagpis ni Eba at Adan”. He finished the contest piece, “Sisidlan,” nonetheless.

News BUDDING EINSTEINS. Students from multifarious elementary and secondary schools flock at the FCLNHS ground during the Division Science Fair.

Bulacan becoming new Metropolis of growth — Alvarado By Daisy G. Cordero

A FCLNHS hosts 2013 Division Science Tech Fair By Sheryl E. Amar

ith great prestige, FCLNHS hosted the 2013 Division Science and Technology Fair with the theme, “Science and Technology Innovation: A Road Towards Peace, Unity and Progress,” September 5-6. The activity mostly focuses on providing due recognition to deserving research students, stimulating enthusiasm towards the field of science and technology and giving them opportunities to acquire sufficient knowledge in this particular context which will be very instrumental in the global arena. All-inclusive The Division Science Fair participants came not only from secondary institutions but also from elementary schools; a first time in the history of Division Science Fair. FCLNHS is very privileged to have hosted such a notable event. Science head teacher Mrs. Daisy Miranda stated, “To say that we are honored would be an understatement. This is to note that our school is climbing a certain ladder.” Asked about how the school dealt with the large outpour of students and trainers from different levels, Mr. Edgardo J. Mendoza, school principal said, “Thanks to the expansion of the school and our newly built edifices, housing such large figures is much easier now.” Accolades Lipana always manages to obtain a bacon, albeit how many. This was proven by Billy Soriano, Bryan Cariño, Angela Fariñas, Kimberly Sushmitra Samiappan. Soriano collared the 10th slot in the essay writing category among 71 students from private and public schools. Cariño, Fariñas, Samiappan, on the other hand, secured the 2nd spot in the Investigatory Project Team Category (Physical Science) entitled “A Feasibility Study on the Use of Bacteria Found in Soil as an Alternative and Renewable Source of Electrical Energy” amongst 12 teams from different schools. “I didn’t bargain for the victory to floor so many intelligent students. I was seriously shocked, I was pinching myself before gracing the stage,” said Fariñas. The Regional Integrated Competition will be held at DepEd Regional Office III, Maimpis, City of San Fernando on October 15 to 18.

s Bulacan continues its rapid industrialization, Gov. Wilhelmino M. Sy-Alvarado in September boasted of his administration’s fulfilment to achieve one of its seven-point agendas namely the computer literacy. Gov. Alvarado lauded the “Computer on Wheels” project — a joint initiative of the Damayang Filipino — a community-based movement founded by Vice Gov. Daniel Fernando and the Bagong Henerasyon Partylist headed by Rep. Bernadette Herrera. According to Gov. Alvarado, the “Computer on Wheels” project is a dynamic instrument in the One Bulacan Pride or the Program for Rapid Industrialization and Development program of the Bulacan government because it will increase the computer literacy program of the province, a priority that the government is currently meeting. “The whole province will benefit from this endeavor especially now that Bulacan is becoming the new Metropolis of growth in the country,” Gov. Alvarado said adding that the province has recently been awarded as among the Smart Cities in the Philippines. The governor divulged that underneath the zonification fundamental of One Bulacan Pride, Malolos City will be the next techno hub of the province, where IT and communication offices will be erect-

wo is not the shining number. Three is. Three Lipanian students Eduardo Rivera, Monique Soledad and Renna Dela Cruz grappled their winning streaks in the 2013 Technolympics at Jaime J. Vistan High School last September 12. Rivera, with his model, Berna Mae Labajo, snared the 2nd spot in Hairstyle with Facial Make-up category; Soledad secured 3rd place, Nail Art with Hand Massage and; Dela Cruz ranked 6th, Children’s Wear Construction category. The three advanced to Division Technolympics at Bunsuran High School, Bunsuran, Pandi, Bulacan last September 19-20. Rivera of IV - Aguinaldo copped 6th place still with his model Labajo and his coach Mrs. Jocelyn Sarmiento. Although failed to snatch at most one place, Soledad of III - Zinc assured, “I did my best. ‘Di lang siguro ito ang time ko. May one year pa ‘ko sa school na ‘to kaya ‘yun. Pasalamat pa ‘rin [ako] dahil narating ko ang Division.” Mrs. Sarmiento, on the other hand, avouched, “Hindi na masama na nakuha naming ‘to [6th place]. The mere fact na nakarating kami sa Division, okay na ‘ko do’n.”

To further the training of SPA Management Technology students

ATEC extends another arm By Arlyn E. Bacolod

hey are here again. This time, they are bringing more. ATEC Technological Colleges extended its hands to Lipana students after deploying a number of student trainees to the campus ground as part of the training of its SPA Management Technology students. The school reduplicated its mission from its last year’s endeavor to give free haircut to select students which took place at FCLNHS’s covered court. This is being conducted to enhance the students’ craft in the context of hairdressing. ATEC student trainees’ trainer, Evelyn Talastas, maintained that the students will have a panoptic grasp of what is being taught through concrete operations and live trainings more than sheer cherry-picking. “Mas nagkakaroon ng kaalaman ang mga estudyante kapag may application. Kasi masyadong vague kapag through discussions lang ‘yun [training].” Furthermore, the students gave free massage therapy to the teachers to help them get rid of nervous tension after mountainous workloads. They said that “unbending excessive mental strains” will help the teachers get back to their “morning vigor.” “Mas magkakaroon sila [teachers] ng lakas sa pagtuturo kapag nagkakaroon ng self-composition. Ang haba ng oras na sila’y [teachers] salita nang salita at maikling oras lang sa break,” Talastas added. Other activities include free nail-cleaning service, hairdressing, hairstyling, computer hardware servicing, among others.

ed at the 17 hectares lot turned over by the national government to the provincial government. He also said that the City of San Jose del Monte will soon be the site of Hollywood type studios while Pulilan, Plaridel and Baliwag will be business and growth corridors of the province. Alvarado to develop quality education in Bulacan Gov. Alvarado, in his State of the Province Address (SOPA) held at the Bulwagang Senador Benigno S. Aquino Jr. inside the Capitol Building on July 2 unveiled the undertakings of the Provincial Government of Bulacan during his first tenure as the provincial chief executive in the context of improving the quality of education in Bulacan. Boasting about the accomplishments and feats of the provincial government, Gov. Alvarado maintained, “Naka-

pagpatayo tayo ng extension campuses ng Bulacan Polytechnic College sa mga bayan ng San Rafael at Pandi, gayundin, nakapagpapatayo tayo ng mga karagdagang gusali sa BPC-Bocaue, BPC-San Miguel, at BPC-Obando upang matugunan ang dumaraming bilang ng mag-aaral at upang mas mapaganda ang serbisyong pang-edukasyon.” He further bragged that the province has already built 366 public school buildings with 972 total number of classrooms which costs more than P898 million making the classroom pupil ratio lower from the standard 1:45 to 1:41 ratio. It also constructed facilities in 46 public schools including covered courts, campus grounds, school fences, comfort rooms, covered walks, home economics buildings, to cite more which costs P90 million thus spending over P 989 million for the improvement of public schools.

In an attempt to promote right of everyone to education with only her voice as instrument

THE RIPENING FRUITS. Teach for the Philippines organization works concertedly to provide all-inclusive and equal quality education to the Filipino children by honing their potential skills to become future state leaders. Photo by Google

Rivera, Soledad, Dela Cruz capture big win By Angelica B. Pabon

QUALITY EDUCATION FOR EVERY BULAKENYO. Gov. Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado promised during his SOPA last July 2 to give equal opportunity for the Bulakenyo youth to have quality education.

Teach for the Philippines to give 22M children equal access to excellent education By Charlene B. Hernandez

ith the aim of raising the bar of excellent education in the Philippines and abroad, Clarissa Delgado, Margarita Delgado and Elizabeth Eder Zobel de Ayala altogether founded “Teach for the Philippines” in August last year, a for-purpose, non-government organization focused on educational impartiality aiming to give all 22 million children in the public school system equal access to an excellent education. Teach for the Philippines will recruit 50 young Filipinos, here and abroad, to teach and place them in ten public schools in Quezon City for two years starting June, as an initiation of the community’s establishment. In five years, the organization will be embarking on a new journey in which it will be catered to the outof-school youth nationwide. Teach for the Philippines pins down its ancestries to the Sa Aklat Sisikat Foundation, which encouraged a serviceable literacy and better training for educators and school administrators beginning 1999. It is also a part of the Teach for All association and is the 25th global partner and second Southeast Asian partner after Malaysia. There are 28 organizations under the Teach for All umbrella, born out of the successful Teach for America program created in 1990 by Wendy Kopp as her undergraduate senior thesis at Princeton University, InterAksyon reports. Some 38,000 partners under her leadership have affected the lives of more than three million students in the United States, according to the Teach for America website. Teach for the Philippines

public relations officer, Stan Sy, stated that the fellowship for Teach for America is a much-coveted one for the reason that it helps successful applicants make an impact and lead these applicants to good professions. While the colleagues invest two years of their lives to better the tutelage of children in primary school, the institute will make sure they receive compensations for themselves, as well. “After the two-year program, the fellow might want to continue to teach in the same school, teach at a higher institution of learning, to pursue a graduate degree, or transition to career in corporate, law, public service, medicine. “We will help them seek out these opportunities,” maintained Sy. It is hoped, meanwhile, that the fellows will be making a setback in the disconcerting education figures in the country. “The Department of Education cannot keep doing this alone,” said Clarissa Delgado. “They need our help, and we as Filipinos should take ownership of our system of education and stop complaining,” she stressed. Delgado believes that despite the fact that DepEd attempts to distribute its educational resources to pay close attention to the clamors of Filipino students, the country is tormented by challenges such as the rapid population carcinoma, overcrowding in the cities, problems in substructure and the failure of the government to allocate enough funds. “It was time for them to get involved because our kids are dropping out of school in alarming rates,” she added.

Pakistani girl shot, survived, changes world By Jeremy M. Seda

“T

hey only shot a body but they cannot shoot my dreams.” These were the words pronounced in a CNN interview by Malala Yousafzai, the 16-year-old girl who was shot in the head by the Taliban for speaking in favor of educating young girls in Pakistan. Malala miraculously survived the Taliban assassination attempt which transpired in October last year, with the medical practitioners seeing a bullet graze in her brain. Malala began writing a blog for the BBC about life under the Taliban. Once the Taliban discovered her identity, she and her father were added to the Taliban’s list of targets, and in October 2012, she was shot in the head while riding home on a school bus. Miraculously surviving the attack, she was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England for intensive rehabilitation. Following this incident, Gordon Brown, the United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education, launched a UN petition in her name, using the slogan “I am Malala” which is also the title of her biography, to demand that all children worldwide be in school by the end of 2015. The entreaty helped to sanction Pakistan’s first Right to Education Bill, leading TIME magazine to feature Malala on its cover and as one of “The 100 Most Influential People in the World.” She was subsequently invited to speak at the UN to call for wide-reaching contact to education. Her status as an international brand was official and the world saw what one little girl can stand for if only given an outlet to express herself.

MalalaYousafzai poses for photographs on Thursday, October 10, in New York. Photo by The Canadian Press

News

Santos takes part in GCAP conference By Paolo C. Estrellado

ichael Santos, Guidance Counselor I, graced with his presence the Annual Guidance and Guidance Teachers Professional Development Program and National Conference last October 16-18 at Universidad De Manila, Manila. With its theme, “Sustaining Education for All (EFA) Goal through Enhanced Guidance and Counseling Skills and Enriched Guidance Program,” the conference aims to equip the guidance and counseling professionals of the skills, strategies and techniques needed in achieving the 2015 EFA and Millennium Development Goals (MDG). The conference was put forward by the Department of Education Guidance and Counselors’ Association of the Philippines Inc. (DepEd-GCAP) to further contribute in attaining DepEd’s vision of excellence and goal of equal opportuni-

ties of age-leaders for learning and develop a comprehensive plan of action in guidance and counseling services responsive to the DepEd K to 12 Basic Education Program and Child Protection Policy. “Maganda ‘yung forums na katulad nito na pinu-push through ng DepEd, mas lalong nabibigyan kami ng kaalaman kung ano ba talaga ‘yung genuine definition of providing guidance to students at ‘yung proper way of counseling them,” Mr. Santos shared. The participants to this activity are guidance counselors, teachers, guidance coordinators, and guidance supervisors with license, and locally assigned ones without license who are interested to attend and give administrative and moral support for effective implementation of Republic Act (RA) No. 9258 and the programs of DepEd.

In commemoration of 77 years of consistent leadership

BSP piles on camping activities By Charlene B. Hernandez

CRAFTING TOMORROW’S LEADERS. In light of its 77th anniversary, the FCLNHS scouts reinforced its uniform power to advocate peace, order and stellar leadership abilities.

Nothing bars a real genius despite not studying in top university

Tuguegarao student tops CPA exam By Irene T. De Jesus

t is the students that make the school, not the school that makes the students. This is a living testimony proven by Jackson Apostol, a University of Saint Louis of Tuguegarao (USLT) graduate who topped the four-day Certified Public Accountant (CPA) LincensureExamination that ran on Oct. 5, 6, 12 and 13. Apostol bested over 4,000 other passers from colleges and universities nationwide after having scored 93.86 percent. Apostol, as a college freshman five years ago, felt pressured whenever people expressed their disillusionment because he was studying in a provincial college and not in one of the leading universities in Metro Manila. “It was as if they were saying that I could not get a good college education because I was not studying in Manila. Since then I promised myself that I would prove them wrong,” he told the Inquirer. Apostol added, “It is sad that some people entertain the notion that graduates of schools in the provinces are always inferior to those from the cities, especially Metro Manila. But I always tell them, “It is not about the place; it is about how [hard] you study.” Apostol, the second of four

siblings, who in college continued to receive academic awards, first set himself to pursue a degree at either the University of the Philippines or Ateneo de Manila University that he could use to enter medical school. “Jax” to his friends and schoolmates, Apostol said he first heard the news on a Monday morning when he received a barrage of congratulatory calls on his mobile phone. “At first I did not believe them because I myself was checking on the Internet for the results and I did not find it. But more calls kept coming in, leading me to think that this could well be true.” “It was really my earliest dream [to become a doctor], as I saw myself taking care of my parents when they get old. [And] I have ugly handwriting,” he told the Inquirer by phone. But his parents were worried about the limited finances that they had to support him in Metro Manila, as well as his frail health. It was his father, businessman Jacinto Apostol, who talked him into studying accountancy instead, said his mother, Elsie. His father is preparing him to assume responsibility for the family’s small business—an automotive parts store and welding shop in Barangay Buntun in Tuguegarao.

onsidered as the biggest uniformed youth movement in the country over the years, the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) are celebrating their 77th anniversary for the whole month of October with the snowballing of peace-advocating activities and environment protection programs. Nationwide, the commemorative event is known as the “Scouting Month.” In the city under the leadership of former Mayor Peter Rey Bautista, president of the BSP Baguio City Council, a chain of events have been set to commemorate the Scouting Month. A grand parade showcasing Kid/Kab Scouts, Boy and Senior Scouts, Rover Scouts and a cast of Scout leaders together with their Girl Scout counterparts flooded the metropolis main streets last October 1. Many commemorative activities have been performed by various schools nationwide. These leadership pursuits took place as well within the FCLNHS campus ground led by Mr. Regalado Hernandez, scout master. The speakers include Mrs. Daisy Miranda, Mrs. Loida Hilario and Mrs. Bernadette Dela Cruz who discussed solid waste management, Mr. Edwin Dela Peña on community service, Mrs. Helen

Polo on peace panel, Mrs. Jennifer Recabo who shared her sentiments about the anti-bullying act, Mrs. Mary Joy Garcia on messengers of peace, Ms. Virginita Ibañez on tree-planting activities and HIV/ AIDS, Mrs. Mary Lilibeth Ralla on climate change, Ms. Melisa Pedragosa on child labor and volunteerism, Mr. Roel Sta. Teresa about child trafficking, Mrs. Rossini Magsakay on ICT, Mrs. Rebecca Santos who spoke about gender equality, Mrs. Anthonette Bernabe on pollution, Mrs. Jessamine Bautista on overpopulation, Mr. Regalado Hernandez who apprise the students of bandaging, Mrs. Cecilia Reyes on poster-making, Mrs. Alicia Wenceslao on face painting activities and Mr. Emmanuel Manuel who explained team work and leadership. During the camping night, FCLNHS scouts performed activities such as role play or skit, dance contest, singing contest, Pinoy Henyo, face-painting contest, slogan contest, among others. Along with the spate of these events include the recognition of the importance of peace advocacies that promote environment protection and development, explanation on the importance of emphatic listening and effective communication skills in building inter-personal relationship and peace in the com-

munity, identification of various national and global issues affecting young people in scouting, explanation of the value of creative self-expression and the demonstration of the importance of leadership skills. Brief history Scouting in the Philippines started in Zamboanga in 1914 with a troop composed of 26 Muslim boys. The Troop was called the Lorillard Sponsor Troop in honor of Spencer’s son, an active Scout with the Boy Scouts of America in the United States. Rotary Club of Manila in 1923 formed the Philippine Council Boy Scouts of America which in later years gave life and inspiration to the birth of the independent national Scouting organization. It was on October 31, 1936 by virtue of Commonwealth Act No. 111 that the Boy Scouts of the Philippines became an independent national movement, thanks to the late Assemblyman Tomas Confesor from Iloilo who authored the bill creating the BSP. The simultaneous institutional / district/municipal/cities camping activities are in light of the 77th anniversary of BSP and were intensified by the team under the memorandum of the Philippine education department.

DOLE to hammer child labor By Jeremy M. Seda

RIGHT TO EMPLOYMENT BUT NOT AT A YOUNG AGE. DOLE rolls out a series of programs and activities under ICP to fully stamp out the growing number of child laborers in the RP. Photo by Google.

he Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) Incentivizing Compliance Program (ICP) is currently heralding among many businesses to fight child labor and comply with the labor legislations including the law against the full-time employment of children. Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz, Labor and Employment Secretary said last October 17th at a press conference during the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and Children’s

Month in the Philippines, “The DOLE’s Incentivizing Compliance Program is a reform program in labor standards and occupational safety and health standards compliance which seeks to reward and recognize establishments voluntarily complying with labor laws, including laws against child labor.” Joined by Baldoz are the official representatives of member-agencies and organizations of the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC) led by Atty. Sonny Matula of the Federation of

Free Workers. The press conference served as the launch in the Philippines of the global campaign, Red Card to Child Labor. A red card is used in several sports, including football, to indicate a serious fault. When one gets a red card, that means he is no longer part of the game. The NCLC collaborated with the International Labor Oraganization and the Younghusband Football Academy, organized a Batang Malaya football tournament to mark the launch of the Red Card to Child Labor in the country, in which approximately 200 former child laborers played at the Emperador Stadium at the Bonifacio Global City. Baldoz added, “One of the incentives under the ICP is the Child Labor-Free Establishment Certificate which the DOLE awards to companies that show commitment and exemplary adherence to the Child Labor Law under Republic Act 9231.” P11.9M livelihood assistance Parents who are about to switch out of the government’s Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program this year and whose children are most likely to engage or revert to child labor will re-

ceive P11.9 million in assistance to help them become self-sufficient through the “H.E.L.P. M.E.” Convergence Program on Child Labor, Baldoz bared July 7th. Baldoz added, “The government hopes that the 305,000 CCT beneficiaries in 17 regions about to ‘graduate’ from the program will be self-sufficient by the end of the year.” By means of the “H.E.L.P. M.E.” Convergence Program on Child Labor, which stands for health, education, livelihood, and prevention, protection, and prosecution, monitoring and evaluation, DOLE will provide livelihood and fiscal assistance to parent-beneficiaries whose children are at risk of going back to child employment. “H.E.L.P. M.E.” Convergence Program is the Aquino III administration’s convergence program on child labor which is aimed at contributing to the realization of the country’s ultimate Millennium Development Goal of poverty obliteration. On the other hand, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has given the DOLE data on marginalized barangays to complement the Campaign for Child La-

bor-Free Barangays. The DOLE regional office 6 has urbanized a change over action plan towards the stipulation of assistance to 225 child laborers after a conference with program partners. The action plan includes capability building for livelihood formation and livelihood enhancement; skills training for out-of-school youth through technical vocational and education training (TVET), or by community-based training in coordination with non-government organizations; and training on management of child labor victims of illegal recruitment. The Regional Child Labor Committee region 9 has likewise developed a convergence action plan for the CCT ‘graduates’ consisting of three strategies, namely (1) identification and profiling of child laborers; (2) advocacy; and (3) livelihood for parents of child laborers. DOLE regional office, in coordination with the DSWD, has conducted a series of community-based anti-child labor advocacy orientation on R. A. No. 9231, or the Anti-Child Labor Law, for several 2,625 CCT beneficiaries to further sustain the momentum of the anti-child labor advocacy in Region 10.

News

at work To unshackle public schools from chains of overpopulation

DepEd develops new mechanism Project EASE eases schoolwork to aid secondary studes By Paolo C. Estrellado

By Jacquie L. Java

ducation department introduced a new voucher system that would grant a tuition subsidy to high school students who cannot be housed in the public schools to decongest public educational institutions in the Philippines. The vouchers are planned to be distributed by DepEd before the start of school year 2016-2017, the beginning of the nationwide implementation of the K to 12 program with two years of senior high school (Grades 11 and 12) added to the basic education curriculum. DepEd Undersecretary for Finance and Administration Francis Varela said that the agency will implement a voucher system, where the government issues a coupon directly to students to enable them to enrol in eligible private educational institutions or non-DepEd schools under a full or partial tuition subsidy. He added that the vouchers program was part of the DepEd’s financial strategy for senior high school. The DepEd would still ask for a budget to build additional facilities, hire additional staff and build up resources in the public schools to handle the two added years of senior high school, Varela maintained. However, the DepEd is also developing financial arrangements with private schools as well as state universities and colleges (SUCs) to absorb senior high school students, primarily those who graduated from public high schools, he said.

P7 billion. Next year’s proposed GASTPE allocation is around P7.8 billion. T h e GASTPE tuition subsidy is currently at P10,000 for a student in a private school in Metro Manila and P6,500 per student elsewhere under an Education Services Contracting scheme. T h e DECONGESTION FOR PROGRESSION. DepEd develops a new that mechanism in providing financial assistance to incoming vouchers senior high school students under the K to 12 program would be paid to private eduthrough a voucher system. cational institu “At the moment, the pro- tions “would be a bit higher” than gram or mechanism that we are those that would be paid to SUCs most likely to adopt is a voucher since the latter already receive govprogram for senior high school. ernment backing, said Varela. The 2015-proposed budThis voucher program can also be used, although details have to be re- get, he added, would involve an alfined, for students to go into SUCs location for the vouchers in senior high school. as well,” Varela stated. The number of vouchers Through the execution of the Government Assistance to would depend on how many of Students and Teachers in Private the 1.1 million students who will be Education (GASTPE) funds jointly graduating from public schools in managed by DepEd and the Fund 2016 will enrol in Grade 11 “and how for Assistance to Private Education many of them can be absorbed or be (FAPE), roughly 800,000 of the 1.4 willing to go to private schools.” Vouchers will be given out million students in private schools in March 2015 before the students are being subsidized. According to Varela, for this graduate from junior high school. year, the GASTPE budget is around

For more affordable quality education without a hitch

ALS boosts advocacy, champions eSkwela

ne can’t do two things at the same time, unless one is a factotum. Launched in 1997, the Effective Alternative Secondary Education Project or Project EASE offers flexible time option to certain students who cannot report to class during certain seasons of the school year for various reasons. EASE is a secondary education program run and designed by the Bureau of Secondary Education (BSE) of DepEd and in coordination with the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization - Regional Center for Educational Innovation and Technology (SEAMEO-Innotech) The aim of the Project EASE is to allow the students to continue their lessons and classroom activities on their own convenient time therefore giving them a better time management and the opportunity to put things on proper priority. It uses a module-based approach in which students are given modules for them to take home and be able to study their lessons outside the classroom. Davao City National High School is among the first pilot schools to implement this program since its launching. Regular students who will be temporarily unable to attend

CONVENIENT, AT EASE. Project EASE provides printed self-learning modules for students to use thereby allowing them to continue their lessons and classroom activities on their own convenient time.

regular classes may avail of Project EASE granted that they have already passed reading and writing ability tests in English and Filipino and the mathematical ability test as well as the coping ability assessment. Project EASE is intended for students who would otherwise drop out of school due to occasional and seasonal demands of parental livelihood, work, and personal circumstances. The program is now available in public high schools nationwide, and is now part of the Drop Out Reduction Program (DORP).

Public schools offering STE receive financial backing By Charlene B. Hernandez

By Irene T. De Jesus

lternative Learning System (ALS), a ladderized, modular non-formal education program implemented by DepEd under the Bureau of Alternative Learning System, developed a flagship project to provide ICT-enhanced educational opportunities for the country’s outof-school youth and adults called the “eSkwela.” The eSkwela Project is a flagship project of the Commission of Information and Communications Technology (CICT) together with the DepEd-Bureau of Alternative Learning System (BALS) funded initially by the APEC Education Foundation (AEF) which was fleshed out to promote digital literacy to the students who do not have sufficient knowledge on computers through digital modules at home. Through the utility of relevant interactive e-learning materials, blended and collaborative modes of instruction, and performance-based assessment in a problem/project-based learning environment, eSkwela seeks to bridge the widening digital divide and social chasms between those who are educated and those who are not. ALS has been cultivated by DepEd for dropouts

in elementary and secondary schools, out-of-school youths, non-readers, working people and even senior citizens wanting to read and write. ALS is a way for the informal and busy students to achieve elementary and high school education without need of going to attend classroom instructions on a daily basis just like the formal education system as secondary education has now become a prerequisite in vocational technology and college education in the Philippines. Currently, the project has developed more than 194 of the 283 targeted e-learning modules. Likewise, eModules for four e-courses for the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) that covers Horticulture, HVAC-Refrigeration, Automotive Servicing, and Bartending are being projected. eSkwela was cited by UNESCO through a Certificate of Commendation from the ICT in Education Innovation Awards 2007-2008. It was conferred with an Honorable Mention by the 2010 UNESCO King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Prize for the Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Education - besting 46 other entries from 30 countries in January 2011.

Gov’t licks high out-of-school youth stats By Joey Anne C. Uy

n response to the alarming number of out-of-school children, the education department opens its door for youth to go back to formal school or land a job as it offers Philippine Educational Placement Test (PEPT). DepEd secretary Armin Luistro said that the agency’s modest contribution to nation-building is “to give our youth a fighting chance to succeed in life through the placement test.” The Philippine Educational Placement Test (PEPT) is the principal instrument used in the Accreditation and Equivalency Program (AEP) which was first established in 1977. The main objective of the AEP is to retrieve out-of-school youths and place them in the formal school system, if they so desire, and to place over-aged in-school youth in the grade/year level corresponding to their ages. The test result will determine the grade or year level appropriate for the test taker. PEPT covers all grade/ year level from Grade 1 to Fourth Year high school so that takers can have a chance to move to the next grade or year level or even complete basic education in just one examination.

“That is possible if they are doing home schooling or if they have acquired enough knowledge and life skills,” Sec. Luistro explained. PEPT tests the competencies gained through formal, informal, and non-formal education which is equivalent to those developed in five subject areas–communication arts in English and Filipino, Science, Mathematics and Social Studies–from first grade in the elementary school to fourth year in the secondary school. Each subject area test includes 120-test items in a multiple-choice format. “We want the test takers to upgrade their academic level so that when they pass, they can re-enter the formal school system, land a job or even get a job promotion,” added Sec. Luistro. PEPT registrants are encouraged to avail of learning modules prepared by the Bureau of Alternative Learning Systems, the Bureau of Elementary Education and the Bureau of Secondary Education or any other learning resources available in DepEd’s regional or division offices. They can use these learning modules to review before the exam or even after as part of their continuing education.

PRACTICABLE ENGINEERING, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY. 198 public secondary schools across the country will be receiving financial assistance from DepEd in its mission to strengthen the teaching of Science, Technology and Engineering.

98 public secondary schools offering Science, Technology and Engineering (STE) program in the Philippines will be receiving monetary subsidy from DepEd as part of the agency’s progressive actions to heighten the quality of Science education in the country. The specialized curriculum is presented in two classes each year level in selected general high schools experiencing congestion during the enrolment period, said education secretary Armin Luistro. Sec. Luistro added that the agency is obliged to support the students who are excellent in the field of Science in connection with the government’s national development agenda which is to develop the scientific and technological prowess of the students. It is stated in the DepEd Order No. 38 series of 2013 that the education agency shall champion the program by providing financial backing to public secondary schools implementing the STE program, which used to be known as Engineering and Science Education Program (ESEP) when it was navigated by the Department of Science and Technology in 1994. The DepEd will give developmental support fund to 198 public secondary schools, composed of 112 ESEP schools and 86 additional schools in which each school will re-

ceive a fixed allocation of P144, 000 and a variable allocation of P500 per student at two sections per year level, but not exceeding 320 students, based on the department’s readiness to implement the special curricular program. The funds which will be engendered by the agency will be anchored on supplies and materials for science investigatory projects and laboratory equipment. According to Sec. Luistro, the said funds can also be utilized “to pay for students’ research projects, rental of equipment including computer or science laboratories and transportation.” The fund can also pay for the tuition and miscellaneous expenses of teachers, who are enroled in science and mathematics-related graduate programs. It can also be spent for subscription to print and non-print instructional materials in Science and Mathematics as well as for the professional training of Science and Mathematics teachers including attendance to seminars authorized by DepEd. Sec. Luistro added, “You can also tap the fund for minor repairs and maintenance of science laboratories and existing science equipment so that our STE schools can respond promptly to their immediate needs.”

Opinion

Night shift ANTIDOTE Angela U. Fariñas

EDITORIAL Going multilingual C

ome the time, public high school students would be greeting their teachers a hearty “good morning” in six different languages. DepEd steps up its foreign-language program in this school year, adding two widely spoken Asian languages to a list that already includes Spanish, French, Japanese and German. Arabic and Mandarin, both emerging business languages, are introduced to selected classes in public high schools. This is an addition to basic classes in Spanish, Japanese and French which debuted in DepEd schools in SY 2009-2010, and the German classes that started in the current school year. Our school is now teaching Chinese Mandarin for Grade 7 and third year students alongside the recent implementation of the K 12 basic education curriculum; one of the schools in Bulacan that piloted the program. The primary objective of teaching foreign language is to enhance the capacity of the students to develop their skills in listening, reading, writing, speaking and viewing as fundamental to acquiring communicative com-

hat makes bullying so terrible is that it takes something full of brightness—childhood—and buries it in darkness. Bullying is a sordid reality in our schools that has caused many children deep suffering and distress. There are too many instances of children being so harassed that they become physically ill—or worse. It’s time bullying was regarded as what it is: aberrant behavior. Some schools have been leading the way in acknowledging and addressing the problem. Students are encouraged to speak up about and against bullying and to engage in such activities as watching useful films, and making posters on the issue. The situation gets worse when violence is confused with “coming of age,” and peer pressure is legitimized. Bullying has become such a problem in schools that DepEd issued a policy against it. Signed by Education Secretary Armin Luistro, Department Order No. 40, also known as the DepEd Child Protection Policy, states the DepEd’s “zero tolerance policy for any act of child abuse, exploitation,

petence. Studies have shown that facility in just one foreign language is now perceived as a disadvantage in the global market that is culturally and linguistically diverse. Per DepEd count, some 54 high schools already run Spanish classes with the help of Instituto Cervantes. Japanese is in 13 high schools with assistance from the Japan Foundation Manila. Alliance Francais helped bring basic French to 12 high schools while the Goethe Institute sponsored the introduction of German classes to nine high schools. DepEd introduced the program amid a noted declining English proficiency among Philippine students. Physiological studies have found out that speaking two or more languages is a great asset to the cognitive process. The brains of multilingual people operate differently than single language speakers and these differences offer several mental benefits. Nobody ever doubted the power of language. But who would have imagined that the

words we hear and speak might be leaving such a deep imprint? Multilingual education should not be an either/or proposition. Instead of doing away with it, we should promote genuine multilingualism and find new ways to make children competitive in a transnational level. There are new and exciting approaches. Children can become successful multilinguals. We need to focus on high-quality bilingual education for all of our children. Maybe if we took learning a second or third language seriously in this country, the stigma would be removed from multilingual education. Learning another language is important for both work and travel. It is also important for making real connections with people and lastly it can give you a greater understanding of your own language. China, for example, is the most populous country in the world. It continues to grow in importance both economically and politically. Learning a language like Chinese, among others would definitely enhance your chances of landing a job, not just in Asia but all over the world.

t is with no question that a student’s life is harder than it looks; we are bombarded with so many discussions, exams, short quizzes, reports, requirements, theses among other things needing completion before we receive the coveted diploma. We give so many years of our lives in school, without is a privilege nonetheless. But not all of us are as fortunate. Some students have to even work just so they can pay the tuition with nobody to support them monetarily, they are forced to go out into the real world a little earlier than most of us. Money, as they say, is a crucial thing in life. And as vital things go, they are not easy to earn thus not fairly accessible to all. High school students who work begin to feel and act more mature. And if they are handling their job well and receive additional responsibilities which indicate stellar performance, their self-esteem grows. In addition, being able to include a parttime job on college or job application is definitely a plus. But not all students are capable of handling a part-time job during the school year. As difficult as it is to admit, dropouts are also evident. Some students are left with no choice but to work in order to survive. Despite the harsh realities, they still need to earn money for their daily expenses. Ironically, students work so they could study. They have to save up so they can fund their own education but, in the long run, they were forced to stop school for a more challenging and more complex job with a greater stipend. It is a sad truth among working students that the demand for monetary needs is too powerful a

clamor. In Japan, about 30 percent of

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“Only when one is able to earn his own money can he understand and realize how hard it is to work.”

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teenagers have experienced working part-time. The main reason they work is to buy things such as clothes, electronic products and groceries. Few of them have to work to make money for college. On the other hand, most students who have jobs want to spend money just for fun. It is a common phenomenon that teenagers are working while still in school. That is no big idea. It is advantageous for teenagers. They can prove they are mature enough to stand on their own feet, more than the lack of financial stability. Only when one is able to earn his own money can he understand and realize how hard it is to work. Working students are good teenage models. They have already been exposed to the life beyond the four corners of the classroom. They may stumble and fall throughout their journey, but the fighting spirit in them will help them achieve their dreams. Students who have sacrificed so much so they could continue their education are keen examples of how teenagers should be today: determined, strong and ambitious people who persevere through hard times with a passion for education. Begging the question, are you one of them?

TheGardenChronicle Editorial Board 2013-2014 Billy V. Soriano Editor-in-Chief Bryan C. Cariño Associate Editor Paolo C. Estrellado News

Scourge

Rizza A. Evardone Feature

CLENCHING FEAR

Lester D. Lañada Sports

Bryan C. Cariño

Jo Anne C. Garlitos Photojournalist

violence, discrimination, [and] bullying,” and lays down guidelines for

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“The eternal imbalance of behavioral flaws reflected on bullying shall not take a long toll to inhibit.

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dealing with such abuse, including cyber bullying. The campaign against bullying is being backed by other government agencies such as the Commission on Higher Education, which monitors incident reports and encourages the creation of student crime prevention councils in schools with government guidance. Local governments have joined the campaign, with the Quezon City government passing Ordinance SP-2157, or the Anti-Bullying Ordinance. Bulacan has passed its own provincial ordinance against bullying, which, it noted, has “reached alarming proportions.” Both the government and

the private sector now have bullying in their crosshairs. Small efforts must be commended and augmented by each of us, adults and young people alike. We must recognize bullying as the scourge that it is and take concrete, resolute steps to stamp it out. The eternal imbalance of behavioral flaws reflected on bullying shall not take a long toll to inhibit. Its very essence, being the harbinger of emotional instability, need not entail a recreational activity meant to put people on abstract classification. This is an instance of an individual and his last resort of continued conceit which is aimed at putting himself on a higher pedestal than anybody that could engender a decline in one’s self-esteem; his only remedy for an at-par construction of self-worth. Some say bullies undergo an exaggeratedly intricate emotional mayhem. This is, in its true form, an irrational fashioning of, humdrum and unequal cataloguing of the bullies-bullied ratio; reeking of, thus another doubt: If bullies go under the multi-faceted realities of life, let us wonder the life being lived by the bullied.

Leslie Ann L. Ramirez, John Patrick V. Reyes Cartoonists Sheryl E. Amar, Arlyn E. Bacolod, Franxis Alliah A. Bernabe, Marilord G. Bogate, Daisy G. Cordero, Irene T. De Jesus, Cim De Lima, Aaron Andrei R. Evangelista, Angela U. Fariñas, Charlene B. Hernandez, Jacquie L. Java, Christine N. Joson, Angelica B. Pabon, Jovie A. Prado, Jeremy M. Seda, Erlynne Mae M. Tamsi, Joey Anne C. Uy, Arjay S. Warde Staff Writers Joanna Marie C. Billones Adviser Antifas R. Reyes, Ph.D. Head Teacher – English Department Edgardo J. Mendoza Principal III Leticia T. Alcantara EPS I – English Romeo M. Alip, Ph.D., CESO V Schools Division Superintendent

Opinion

Out with the line of 9

Reflection

I LOVE YOU

OPEN GROUND John Patrick V. Reyes

eing involved in extracurricular activities and getting outside experiences, like putting involvement in school contests on special ground is valued more than receiving good grades during one’s high school career. Extracurricular activities and outside experiences allow a student to get hands-on experience in the field toward which they will soon be heading, make connections with different people, improve their social and intellectual skills and it can really show someone their valuable rational ethic. For instance, joining school contests which concern more on athletics is actually a more practicable choice. As when landing a job, you need to have physical strength and steadfast intellectual faculty. Getting involved in school contests concerning academics is also a fruitful pick. Some employers want a more trained applicant because then, they will be shelling less time for the trained rather than untrained ones. When you are involved in extracurricular activities, not only do you get that experience, you get the chance to meet different people through the process. Nowadays, employers care about who you know instead of what you know. Being socially active and having good interpersonal skills are deemed very important for anybody in the career world because employers want to make sure they hire people who have the ability to communicate well and will not harm their reputation by

lacking it. Having prior school experiences and being highly involved in extracurricular activities can really show to future employers your positive work attitude. Yes, receiving good grades in school can prove that you worked hard, but will it really matter 10 years down the line that you always turned in your homework or that you always made it sure to obey what your teacher had ordered you? What would be more impressive than proving you can hit the books is that you took the time to be involved in a club or to help tutor other students while maintaining good grades. If you were the leader of an organizational group or club, it shows that you have leadership skills and know how to take control of things. If you devoted your time to help tutor someone or if you were even a teacher’s assistant, it shows your commitment and dedication to your work, and that you are someone that can make a difference. Mostly, extracurricular activities show that you have time management skills because you were able to balance a number of different things. That may not sound like it is as important, but it takes much more work to receive good grades while being involved on campus and perhaps having a job, rather than just using all your time to focus on one particular thing. It is impressive if you can prove that you are able to handle more than one task at a time. And this is to only note that

the parameter of the word “extracurricular” is not located at the tip of academics or athletics but found on every tip it is possible to dive in.

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“Being socially active and having good interpersonal skills are deemed very important for anybody in the career world because employers want to make sure they hire people who have the ability to communicate well and will not harm their reputation by lacking it.”

At the bottom of a round ball A PLATE FOR ONE Angelica B. Pabon

mpermanence is one of life’s few constants. In an attempt not to discourage virtual cheating but voyeurism, local public schools are now potentially putting smart phones on permanent ban. This seems to be a resonant clamor of inviting intrusion – an otherwise larger canvass to debar. Ban smart phones because they promote ribaldry, they say. This runs on the same level as banning artificial insemination just because it is unnatural. But you will no way find them protesting for the preclusion of anaesthesia though it is evenly unnatural. Our ignorance ratio of 10:10 could be a useful element to impede our quotient of intelligence. Fair enough for the education department. Fair enough for everybody. Ban smart phones because they incite plagiarism. Agreeable. Though, agreeably disagreeable. How is this not on the same footing as the elemental cheating done in a hindsight? The ex-

act way we turn our eyes for answers and pinch-hits for blank items. How does a smart phone provoke lowbred cheating? Through texting? According to DepEd secretary Armin Luistro, banning smart phones means allowing low-end cellular phones. Therefore, to follow the logic of those who already did the banning, one can no longer use phones to cheat; granted that condoned phones don’t have the specs capable of committing such crime of integrity. Does the fact that smart phones stir up betrayal of integrity the lone vantage point we should consider? Living in a conservative society makes the Republican faction headway to victory. This is measly a discouragement of “copulation vigor,” a sudden impulse when one is subject to passionate fornication. This actually limits the statistics to lower down premarital and underage pregnancy. Now, banning smart phones is banning the lowest form of plagiarism? Think again. What about the welfare of

the students? We don’t care about the students, though. We look after the parents’ pockets. Parents will no longer waste greater banknotes on smart phones that school supplies.

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“Being socially active and having good interpersonal skills are deemed very important for anybody in the career world because employers want to make sure they hire.”

---------------------- The bottom line is that we should ban smart phones because they are useless and inefficient. Not. Exaggerative schmaltzy dipping shall stop now. The account for which we are solely dependent on has loosened just in time. Banning smart phones is a deprivation of easy access. Then again, impermanence is one of life’s few constants. And we are, at the moment, at the bottom of a round ball.

OPINION POLL TO ABOLISH OR NOT TO ABOLISH Members from the Senate and the House of Representatives agreed to reschedule the SK elections between October 28, 2014 and February 23, 2015 in order to introduce reforms in the system. Following the ratification of the bicameral committee to postpone the Sangguniang Kabataan election which was originally scheduled to be concomitant with the barangay elections this month, many youth groups have vehemently expressed both dismay and exhilaration. I PROPOSE “The government’s chief purpose which is to inculcate in the youth patriotism and nationalism, and encourage their involvement in public and civic affairs is achieved through Sangguniang Kabataan. We should give the youth the opportunity to participate in nation-building and not deprive them of their ability to serve. The government resolution to postpone SK is too swift a decision.” -Renna B. Dela Cruz III-Helium

Total Sample: 500 randomly selected students from different levels

Loida D. Hilario Head Teacher IV, Math department You say: “Nobody loves me.” God says: I love you. I have loved you with an everlasting love, so I continued to show my constant love. How can I abandon you? My love for you is too strong. The mountain may depart and the hills will be shaken, but my steadfast love for you will never end. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him showed not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another for I have LOVED YOU, that you also love one another (John 13:34). “I love you.” Perhaps the most important three words that you can say. Telling someone that you truly love them satisfies a person’s deepest emotional needs; the need to belong, to feel appreciated and to be wanted. Your spouse, your children, your friends and you, all need to hear those three little words. “I love you.” Love is a choice. You can love even when the feeling is gone. Love is kind; love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things. Love never fails.

Underneath All this Bacon

---------------------- In the end, good grades can get you scholarships and a sash to put on your graduation gown that shows that you have graduated with flying colors. Although it is quite an achievement, having work experience, knowing people and having developed social and intellectual skills is much more important in the long run. Extracurricular activities facilitate children in developing good moral and social character. Not only do they help students attend to their own interests but also, they teach them the value of team work, hard work and most importantly, self-respect. Not all students will like what they try at first, but trying new things as a tool to get youth rid of things that fall short of legal and ethical standards is still the most important.

I OPPOSE

“Sangguniang Kabataan serves as a breeding ground for the youth to resort to graft and corruption. Some parents compel their children to join the clique because of the money it offers which is aimed primarily at either creating ghost projects or actual ones. This is not how SK should operate. I commend both chambers of the government for putting SK under reformation. However, reforming SK is not enough, it should be fully abolished.” -Kenneth L. Gravamen 7-Sampaguita

Exchange Editorial New Taugtog National High School Division of Zambales

Awipay Trajano

“J

anet Napoles surrenders.” This is probably one of the best headlines a Filipino could hear. This news rocked the country as Janet Napoles of the Pork Barrel Scam surrendered herself to the President of the Philippine Republic Benigno Aquino III. With a little rewind, we would see that during the past few days, the term Pork Barrel has aroused and made itself into the top items being searched on Google and waited for in news reports and newspapers by the Filipino people, due to its previous engagement with political scams. First of all, what is this so called Pork Barrel? What is its history? Where did it come from? In the show Umagang Kay Ganda, a morning news program, political analyst Tony La Vina shared a short primer on the history of the Pork Barrel System amid the current controversy over its misuse. He said that the term pork barrel is meant to be an insult, that it was tied to American history wherein slave owners gave their slaves a barrel of salted pork that they would fight over. The term pork barrel was then used for any allocated budget for lawmakers. “Americans used the Pork barrel to divide and rule the Philippine Assembly in 1916” La Vina said. He said that there were Filipinos who wanted independence. Some wanted statehood so some Americans used the pork barrel to appease their allies. During the martial law, the pork barrel was abolished by President Ferdinand Marcos and instead distributed the money to his cronies. La Vina believes that President Aqui-

no can abolish the priority development assistance funds of lawmakers, saying the President was sincere when he said the PDAF system is “unreformable.” “Ang sakit ng PDAF is that the lawmaker is entitled. He can use it any way he wants which is incorrect because it is not his money,” La Vina said. There it is, political analyst Tony La Vina said so himself. He clearly stated that the PDAF is not the lawmakers’ money. Not their money. “PDAF”: Priority Development Assistance Funds. Meaning the pork barrel fund is for development, but where is this progress? Where can these developments be found? No one knows for sure. But it’s not knowledge of what they do with the money that’s important. What’s really important is seeing and feeling the changes and the improvements and the developments that they produce through the assistance of the pork barrel funds. This issue on the pork barrel had definitely been a hit. It triggered lots of rallies and criticisms from the Filipino crowd. This has served as a proof of the undying corruption in our country. This Pork Barrel Scam issue has not ended yet, but surely it made a big leap as Janet Napoles was arrested. This is evidence that corrupt people will be caught; it may not be today or tomorrow, but surely, soon. May this be a lesson to all, politician or not, lawmaker or not, all. (Reference: UKG morning news program)

Letter to the Editor Dear Editor, Working hard and receiving an insufficient amount of money in return is twice as difficult as studying. And being top of your class is highly unlikely, considering that the time that could have been spent on school works is spent mostly on finishing your outside responsibilities. Luckily, I still manage to do both things, working at night and studying on daylight. While it may seem easy to balance these two, the monthly earnings are not en ugh for a self-supporting student as I am, with barely any financial resource from my parents, to strive hard in my studies. Financial dearth is a big block on the road. I want to have something my parents could be proud of for I know education is the only wealth that nobody can steal. I am now running slim chances to continue studying because of such reasons. I hope I can get a response. Thank you. Ramon S. Sanchez, IV-Balagtas --Dear Ramon , Thank you for putting aside your errands and taking time to write. First of all, we would like to inform you that we are more than astounded to have heard such an astonishingly magnificent perspective coming from a very diligent student. One letter with the similar intent had also reached The Garden Chronicle core but this one, we would like to quickly address, granted that we take noble felicity in what manner the letter is written and how the sender executes his thoughts. Second of all, with bliss, we want to shed light on all possible activities you may be interested to get involved in, since you have mentioned that you are a self-supporting student. The school canteen, for example, is currently scouting for students like you through aiding the people administrating the said workplace. The administrators, in the student helpers’ own convenience, will only distribute tasks on any of their available time. You can also exchange dialogue with the guidance counselors if you want to become a student assistant in the guidance office. The rest of the guidance office transactions, including the scholarship programs can be vastly expounded and properly discussed by the counselors once the interaction is already taking place. As much as we want to help you out respecting the latter option, we can only re-direct your concern towards the higher authority. We are hoping that you continue to study and work harder. With a standpoint like yours, we foresee a bigger surprise to be dropped. Good luck! The Editor

The Garden

Feat

VEGETABLE GARDENI

The many life wisdom unearthed

By Marilord G. Bogate, Rizza A. Cultivating plants is not an easy job. More than strong patience, one needs to have strapping attention to detail and persistence in growing plants after several minutes of meticulously landing the seeds. Too, the surrounding environment that will predict the success of the foliage shall also be taken into account. Without so is a great disappointment, otherwise. To some, vegetable gardening is either simply a recreational activity or a channel of natural pleasure. While it may appear to be functioning in both ways, it is more than a sheer process of seeding, growing and eating. In between the process of growing the plants and eating them lies a source of economic revenues. Guiguinto has been known as the Garden Capital of the Philippines for its predominating agricultural economy that has gradually urbanized and developed and becoming part of the Metro Manila conurbation. The Garden City at the Guiguinto Cloverleaf just outside the Tabang Exit is the municipality’s main tourist magnetism. Visitors are welcomed by a tranquil and fascinating sight of greens and multi-coloured flowers that epitomizes Guiguinteños’ creativity with regard to crop growing and both landscaping and hard-scaping. The gardening life in the municipality has been being celebrated every January 23rd through what it dubbed the “Halamanan Festival” since its inception in year 1999 in recognition of its patron, St. Ildefonso. In a country where most of the people are fielding both the poverty line and low employment figures, the odds to fill one’s empty bowl of rice are slimmer than thought. On a lighter note, most people are equipped with the armors to fight the line and figures.

Meet Nanay Belen

Joining the underprivileged sector is Mrs. Avelina Medes, called by her acquaintances as “Nanay Belen,” a widowed parent of three who struggles playing the tough game of life. Nanay Belen resides at Tabang, Guiguinto in a small kubo (hut) where she mothers her children studying in Felizardo C. Lipana National High School. Nanay Belen was widowed in 2002 by her husband whom she met when a friend of hers sent her to Bulacan. She abandoned her original residence in Virac, Catanduanes. “Pumunta ako sa Bulacan kase mas maraming trabaho do’n, sabi ko. Mas magkakaro’n ako ng mas malaking sahod kung mas maganda at mas pirmi ako sa isang trabaho. Nagpapasalamat ako kase may kinabubuhay naman kami kahit konti lang at medyo may kahirapan. [I went to Bulacan because I thought there were greater job opportunities there. I would receive higher income if I have a more stable job. I am thankful that I earn money despite the difficulty].” Her husband was a product of the garden beds as well. Having answered the call of death, her husband bit the dust in 2002, leading Nanay Belen to take over her husband’s income outfit. And because Nanay Belen has nothing left to choose, she willingly picked paghahalaman (gardening) as her and her children’s avenue for day-to-day survival.

Plot twist

But... Nanay Belen doesn’t even own the garden nor did her husband. Simply, she only serves her “amo” (boss), as the plant cultivator who masters the process of a more efficient and quicker propagation called “marcotting” or “layering.” Marcotting is a process of plant propagation by which plants are reproduced asexually. This is done by rooting branches, twigs, or stems that are still attached to a parent plant, as by placing a specially treated part in moist soil and detaching it as an independent plant thus engendering another one. Her amo grants Nanay Belen a few presents during Christmastime, “Binibigyan kami ng amo ko ng regalo t’wing Pasko. Mabait naman siya sa ‘kin [My boss gives us gifts every Christmas. She is a kind boss.],” she light-heartedly shared.

A mother’s love

Despite the heat and the quick shift of environment from sunrise to sunset and the insufficient profits, there is no stopping Nanay Belen not to forego paghahalaman as it has become both her family’s source of income and source of entertainment.

n Chronicle

ture

ING LIFE FROM AFAR

d when gardeners dig in the dirt

. Evardone, Christine N. Joson “Mahirap ang trabaho dahil maaraw minsan at para akong lalake at babae. Pero para sa mga anak ko, hindi ‘ko iiwan ‘tong trabaho ko. [The job is a toilsome one because of periodic humidity. But in spite of that, I will still continue to do this for my children].” Referring to paghahalaman as her family’s source of bonding too, her children would sometimes help their mother in cultivating plants during their free time. Nanay Belen formed a small vegetable garden at her front yard from which she gets provisions for her and her children. “Pag ‘yung talagang walang wala talaga akong pera, parang nagiging pagkain nalang din namin ‘yung mga tanim kong gulay [The vegetables that I planted serve as a source so we will have foods during financial shortcomings].” Nanay Belen didn’t earn at least one appliance in her home out of the plant cultivation business because of financial shortage and, again, her three children. With a small earning to survive the whole day with her children, she still remains stoic and optimistic that someday, the wheel of life will rotate and free Nanay Belen and her family from the chains of poverty.

Meet Kuya Dennis

Dennis Rey Trinidad is a father of three who has been spending seven years of his life selling kangkong or water spinach (Ipomoea aquatic), a semi-aquatic, tropical plant grown as leaf vegetable, to the open market places and diverse parts in Luzon, earning just a substantial amount of income for his family. Vegetable planting became part of Dennis’s life and has been his source of income for food expenses and a miscellany of familial needs. He abandoned his job of being a stable factory worker because of inadequate monthly minimum stipend. “Mas’yadong maliit ‘yung sweldo ko kaya iniwan ko ‘yung trabaho ko sa pabrika. Naghanap ako ng iba pang pagkakakitaan at nakita ko ‘tong pagkakangkong kaya sinubukan ko [The salary is too little so I decided to vacate the post. I looked for other alternatives and stumbled upon this water spinach business so I took the risk],” Dennis shared. Dennis inherited this horticultural state of growing plants from his father who had a wide grasp of plant cultivation techniques. This inheritance now made an impact on his life, with pagkakangkong becoming his natural survival kit in his everyday endeavor. The kangkong plants are processed and ready for harvesting within 14 days. Following which, Dennis goes to the designated location where he plants water spinaches, proceeds to hoarding the crops and ferries them with his own boat. The driver will then reach the middleman’s destination to deliver the kangkong. Dennis is tasked to do this bi-monthly for a daily salary of P400, enough to attend to the needs of his children and his wife. “Sapat naman ‘yung 400 [pesos] sa pamilya ko dahil napagkakasiya ko naman. May sobra pa nga e kaya may natatabi ‘rin kahit papa’no [Four hundred pesos is enough for my family as I manage to fit up the amount for their needs. There are at times amounts that go beyond, so somehow, I keep them for future dealings],” he told.

Fruitful and thriving

Owing to his pagkakangkong business, Dennis has already produced appliances and various home furniture for his family. “Marami na akong nai-pundar sa bahay katulad ng TV at mga upuan, minsan sinusunod ko rin ‘yung simpleng luho ng pamilya ko. Maraming nagawa itong business [pagkakangkong] na ‘to [I bred many household appliances including television and chairs, I sometimes buy my family what they want to follow their simple luxury. This water spinach cultivation business has owed me many].” Dennis sees hope that his pagkakangkong business can be able to develop more largely and become one of the leading and booming kangkungan businesses in the Philippines. “Sana mas lalo pang mag-bunga ‘tong negosyo na ‘to hanggang sa makilala siya sa buong bansa kahit masyadong mataas ‘yon [Although it seems ambitious, I hope that this business will become more fruitful and well-recognized in the country],” he added. Both Nanay Belen and Dennis learned that to earn money, whether of little amount or otherwise, one needs to work hard and push through to defeat the blinding rays of destitution. They believe that in the end, those who will die poor have no one to blame but themselves. Success, they said, is not something to be approached by lifting one foot but lifting two feet one step at a time.

Feature

A tireless, timeless leader

Sketch y t i l a n o Pers By Rizza A. Evardone

That whom who is always loud has something to boast about; that whom who hides the thing to boast about is always proud. That whom who is always proud grinds cheese not for him but for the people who rely on him. That whom who cares for people is cared by people. The shutter is only a year away before it officially comes to an end. But the glory still persists and continues to take its place. With only a year to uphold his post and to create a great host of continuing and enduring patterns of academic heritage, Mr. Edgardo J. Mendoza, school principal III is still on his prime to endow laurels to the school he has been fathering for several years now. Yet, being depleted of energy is just a part of the good leadership and will never be his parlance. Having brought up by a middle-class clan, Mr. Mendoza bears the knowledge of a man who possesses purity of heart and abundance of the mind; never let fears over power his gears and failures overcome his strength. He is a man who was taught how to think and not what to think. Tireless Each individual resists fatigue if what he is doing will knowingly reek of good fruits. Not on the part

ry Short Sto She was leaving. I hugged her and started crying, begging her to stay. I know it will take too long to see her again. She wiped my tears and kissed my forehead a goodbye. She would come back. She promised. I was only five years old when my mother left us to work abroad as a “baby sitter.” I couldn’t clearly understand why she left me and travelled for miles away just to take care of other children. My father explained that she needed to do that to earn money for my future. My mind was not mature enough to ponder on those things except that I knew that my mother left, and nothing more. I was turning seven when I asked her through Skype if she could come home to celebrate my birthday. She promised she would. My most anticipated day came. I waited for her...seconds, minutes and several

of Mr. Mendoza. Whatever he does, whether or not it is for a weak cause, he does it with pure ardor because a good leader knows every perimeter and gets everything done before reaching one. With the gallantry on his face and a mischievous sparkle in his eye, he stands out among the multitude of teachers who crowd the busy hallways of our high school. He roams around the school in a casual, tranquil manner, and sends out an air of relaxation to all who are near him. Whenever one is around him, a sense of serenity would engulf him, and he would feel as though a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders. On the other hand, the emotion is not always as it used to be. As Mr. Mendoza is regarded as a hair-splitting fusspot and someone who likes working things out of perfect crafting, he gives us the bravest and the most unforgettable monstrosities one would find as a provocation of healthy fear. This is done only through the virtue of purism. After he figures out that something is in an improper formation, he gets on his belt and starts to act like the tireless man he is. His works never go out of style. His son, Roi Derrick Mendoza is currently working as a secondary school teacher in English in the same institution under the management of his father. This indefatigable headship is even proven through his active attendances and participations in several conferences nationwide. Just recently, he attended the conference for Special Program in Foreign Language Implementers. On May 31-June 2, 2012, alongside the schools’ execution of the new Basic Curriculum, he participated in the Division Training-Workshop of Secondary School Principals, Officers-in-charge and Head Teachers on the Implementation of K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum; Annual Convention of Public Secondary School Principals Association III Officers on November 9-11, 2011; Third Level Training on the Roll-out of the Enhanced Basic Education Information System (E-BEIS) from August 8 to 9, 2011; among others. Moreover, he is also an active member of three organizations, one of which is local-based while two of which nationwide including the Philippine Association of Public Secondary School Administrators, Philippine As-

sociation of Public Secondary School Administrators-III and Bulacan Public Secondary School Administrators. This goes only to an account that his management of the school is not only a self-absorbed interest nor is it an egocentric valor but an exceptional ability that only a few of today’s trailblazers possess. Timeless Back then when everything else was easy, when your 1-peso coin could fly you to Macau, when you were playing tug of war, when your cassette tape was running out of blackcaps, the martial factions were unknowingly preparing for the upcoming warfare, the military milking mortars and leaders pioneering the trail. They never relaxed nor did they even leisure, they were the ones in the lead. But, nobody was even sung. Someone in Iba was being belabored and sowing good sweat, now he’s reaping the sweats with gold and fortune. Mr. Mendoza started out as a secondary school teacher at Iba High School in 1974. He taught in the aforementioned school for more than 15 years until he became the secondary school principal in 1994. He was promoted as the secondary school principal II at FCLNHS. Adjacent to these educational endeavors enter a long list of training programs to attend to. And this, surprisingly, had never been difficult for Mr. Mendoza. From 2002 up to 2013, Mr. Mendoza seems to always manage to grace these events with his presence. In February 2002, he attended the PopLaw Seminar-Workshop for Public School Administrators and Supervisors of Bulacan, a 16-hour forum discussing the K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum on Popularizing the Law (POPLAW) Program. In another year, he attended the 120-hour conference entitled “Strategic Management and Instructional Leadership Course for School Administrators” from June 25, to July 4, 2003. Leader Leadership is an act of problem solving. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can actually help or just resorted to a conclusion that you do not care. Mr. Mendoza is a man who leads and who follows. He may be leaving but his legacies won’t. As John Quincy Adams perfectly put it, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

Time Machine By Rizza A. Evardone hours passed but no one came, not any of my mother’s traces were found. Something went wrong. She reasoned out. She just sent me a big box of present together with her greetings. My 8th, 9th, 10th birthdays, even recognition and graduation passed but she wasn’t there. Just like what she always did, she would again just send me gifts during the significant days of my life. Walls between us started to build. She sends e-mails telling me how she badly misses me, how she feels sorry for the times she wasn’t there and how much she loves me. But my heart grew cold, numbed and just ignored her, leaving her barely any response. She always asks my father if she could talk to me even for just a minute but I would pretend to be worn-out or soundly asleep. I closed any opportunity to speak to her. How it broke my heart whenever occasions went by and she wasn’t there. It took her ten years before she decided to come home. My father told me when her arrival was. I sensed that my father hardly felt any happiness or exhilaration upon knowing her arrival and it appeared strange for I know that he had been waiting for that day since then. There was no welcome party. The plane landed. I was shocked for what I saw. My knees trembled and almost weakened. Four men were carrying a big rectangular box towards us. My mother was one of the 2.2 million Overseas Filipino Workers who

chose to leave their family to work in a foreign country to assure their children’s future. She was also one of the thousands who was abused and maltreated by a heartless employer. Someone told us that she tried to escape from the hands of her cruel employer but unfortunately, she was caught and detained. She worked day and night without eating until her body couldn’t take it anymore and finally gave up. I was never aware of those terrible things she had been through. I never asked on her as hatred reigned in me. I have been so stubborn all those years, so selfish that I actually thought that it was only I who suffered all these years. I regret ignoring her. I regret having missed the chance to tell her how much I miss her, how much I love her more than she loves me. I regret having hated such a hard-working woman whose only goal was to lift her child off the chains of abject poverty and mundane trouble. I wasted so much time living in hatred and selfishness. How I wish I could reset time so I could make things right. She already left. I wish I could hug her once and for all. I started crying out loud, begging God for another chance. I know for sure that it would take a lifetime to have these wounds healed. She could never wipe my tears nor kiss my forehead anymore because she will never ever come back. For now, I can only wish Time Machine were real. And I know it would never be real. Never at all.

The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom

BOOK REVIEW

By Erlynne Mae M. Tamsi Mitch Albom mesmerized his audiences around the world with his New York Times’ number one money-spinners, The Five People You Meet in Heaven and Tuesdays with Morrie; making us convinced to death that nothing bangs the gong the same way he does. As he embarks on a fresh venture and redeems his dynamism, “The Time Keeper” might not hold evidence to that, and never will. However, although it cannot be considered as a letdown from his previous bestsellers, it is an excellent way to revive his armor. Time is incredibly ephemeral thus shall be treated as if a goldenly drafted silver – a huge dualism that vouches for the cruelty of Earth. Is it relevant? Of course. Yet the irony can disturb one while in the midst of smeared enjoyment when Dor is being compelled to action for his two souls. The inception of this tale follows a man who lives four thousand years ago; the first man on earth to count the hours becomes Father Time. He knows absolute vacuity during his stint when nothing was invented, no computers, no abridged cellular phones, and no internet – not until he discovered time. He is expatriated in a cave for eras and enforced to listen to the voices of all who come after him seeking more days and years after measuring God’s greatest gift. The pure dryness comes with the punishment that he’s been subject afterwards. In the long run, with the nearly fragmented depth of his soul, Father Time granted his freedom, along with a mystic hourglass and a transcendental mission that is, a chance to redeem himself by teaching two conceivable people, after thousands of years, what the most genuine definition of time is.

He then revisits the world we now live in – now under enemy control by the hour-counting he so unknowingly started – and embarks on a journey with two questionable partners: a teenage girl abandoned with hope, the other a well-heeled old geriatric businessman who wants to infinitely live. To save himself, he must save them both, thus unravelling the possibilities of the earth performing it. This only goes to the rest of us waiting for the storms to pass and the silver sides to show. We can never turn back time as much as our deeds. It is into our wailing fleshes that only time will finely create a bridge to get past with everything. But so long as we surpass our inability to stop the storm, there will be more storms to cross and barely anything to control them. Not us. No one. The Time Keeper will surely stir the public eye for carrying such a great weight in terms of reflective fiction with a caress like that of a reality. Knowing the Utopian compass of a “Mitch Albom,” this is surely not derived from a pedestrian guidance (hence not derivative), but surely a good line-crossing, string-pulling prose.

Haiku ukiaH

Time to smile By Marilord G. Bogate

Forget the storms in life, Sway gracefully with the trees Shine bright like the morning star. Time of Dreaming By Christine N. Joson

Time to Sow By Angela U. Farinas Summer is here again, Flowers start to blossom And life goes on.

A blind bee said I could fly, A mute bird said I could sing, And man wakes up with a smile.

True Time By Arlyn E. Bacolod Wasting the hours, It will leave and go by Like a dream without believing.

Appreciating Time By John Patrick V. Reyes Tears of stars in the plains Silver mist in the forest Another morning comes.

Feature MOVIE REVIEW

In Time

By Marilord G. Bogate Starred by good actors and actresses of the Hollywood industry, milked by immutably magnificent plot twists, overdrawn by the exaggerated scenes and futuristic follies, cleverly thought-out chilly blues shots and appealing cinematography comes a well-executed Dystopian sci-fi film entitled “In Time.” Written and directed by the narrative genius Andrew Niccol, the film features a predominantly industrial adventure with the characters having the ability to control time, buy it, sell it, wager it as it is used in a highly scientific world as its “currency.” Thanks to high-concept technological breakthrough, people can stop aging at 25, but it comes with a catch: after reaching 25, a person is genetically engineered to live only one more year. And owing to the fact that time is considered money, you can earn more at work but you sell it for

goods and other services. By the time you run out of time to spare, you die. A complete representation, taken symbolically more than metaphorically, that time is gold. Sometimes, it exceeds gold. It becomes life. Justin Timberlake’s character Will Sala is a young man living “day to day,” in the ghetto, where everyone is struggling to get more time by whatever means possible. The rich people in the district of New Greenwich have lived for decades and have hundreds or thousands of years banked so they can live forever, often at the expense of the poor. You can go on and on and notice how much important time is in the movie that it goes beyond the parameters of excitement of overused effects. One could guess that the people within the world presented in this movie can go paraplegics and amputees just so they can be outlived by the affluent. Because that’s how it is, being impoverished is living less. Otherwise lives longer. They are being chased by a Timekeeper played by Cillian Murphy, who is actually one of the better aspects of the movie, because at least you can expect some action whenever he shows up, but those scenes are few and far between. The movie is filled with exhilarating climaxes and the hunger for time, logically misconstrued as “life” or “money,” is felt so deeply that the movie gets boring to its steepest core. But the conceptualization of “time” being, as mentioned repeatedly above, “life” is spot on that it makes the movie less of a fiction movie but a reality-based, slightly Dystopian, strongly systematic adventure film. The genuine transition of the film from facts to vague details is seriously the best that Niccol can serve. And to give the credit where it is originally due, time is gold. And so is this movie.

ukiaH Haiku

Beautiful Time By Erlynne Mae M. Tamsi

Looking at the moon, Giving me a peaceful mind Like the nature God has given us.

Time tinkles By Sheryl E. Amar I hear the tic-tac of clock, Glimpse in my future That arises in earth’s core.

Solitary time By Leslie Ann L. Ramirez

Past Time By Arlyn E. Bacolod Trying to look back Where the sun goes down, It will never go back.

Stars in the sky Shine and smile upon me, Once in a blue moon. Time Out

By Ms. Joanna Marie C. Billones

Wind swiftly blowing, Taking away beyond reach The little boy’s kite.

? n a i d i j i Xianza

Reflection

By Li Weilin – Ibañez, Virginita S.

What time is it now? TIME...is undoubtedly fleeting. It passes like an expert thief at night unnoticed. Things happen, preferred or not, with time. One would never know when the right time will come for the right thing to happen. In time, we would say, things will be alright. This is how unpredictable time is. It brings hope, fear and promise to its believers. Hope for it will bring the best and the expected. Fear of the negative things it may offer, the unexpected to happen, and being caught off-guard. Promise of the continuity of life no matter what. To most, time is greatly valuable that to squander it is like committing a crime. Spending quality time is one of those good deeds a person does for self and to others. Xianzai ji dian? It is time for my Mandarin class. Yes, I am a Mandarin teacher just this school year. I may call it by chance and not really by choice. Who would dare think I will be one, in my eleven years as a science teacher? Teaching science is indeed enjoyable yet a challenge as well. With the change in curriculum comes a great deal of adjustments. Nevertheless, I remain to be one and willing to face novelty. On the other hand, teaching language brings an immense challenge to its mentors, English language in particular. My highest admirations to all of them. And now I shall say I face the same thing as a foreign language teacher. It is a good thing I deal

Filipino

Value

“It’s better late than never,” the tardy says. “But never late is better!” shouts the other. One of the most remarkable traits a Filipino has is probably his habit of tardiness – a superficially self-satisfied behavior that creates not only a conduit between laziness and indifference but also creates bonds of languor and disobedience; a relic of traditional establishment and irresponsible management of time alike. Being late is reprehensive as it is outrageously shameful. Walking in a large class in which everybody is present and you’re the only one being awaited puts one in the widest prospect of disgrace. Entering the door with everyone batting his eyelash as if you destroyed an empire. Hastily picking up a chair and expecting the entirety of class to get back to its spoiled momentum. And in your desire to get your backsides quickly settled, you slipped! Nothing but an incomparable embarrassment, to say the least. Tardiness dwells within our cultural milieu, and obliterating this pattern

with the brightest students in school. With them having an outstanding background of the English language, makes teaching and learning Mandarin fun and somehow easier. Time has brought me here. Time has brought me this. No one from my past and even at present anticipated me being a language teacher much more a foreign language teacher...only time. Things happen for reasons we could hardly explain. Whatever mine is, there is no turning back. Adventurous as I am, and risk-taker maybe, this comes in handy that I enjoyed every bit of it. Although the challenge is quite enormous, I have to live with it each day and every time I face my Mandarin students (Hanyu xueshengmen). We both study Mandarin (Women dou xuexi Hanyu), my students and I at the same time. I learn a lot while I teach. I guess this is where challenge and enjoyment come together. I feel like a student as well, and indeed I still am. The one-month training I had at the Confucius Institute-Angeles University Foundation in Pampanga last summer had provided me with the basics of Hanyu. I am fortunate enough to be chosen to participate in the said training. This was in connection with DepEd’s Special Program in Foreign Language (SPFL) summer training courses for teachers which aim to boost their skills in teaching foreign language. The SPFL started in the school year 2009-2010 in select public secondary schools whose students demonstrated com-

petence in English which is the primary requirement in learning another foreign language. It was initiated with Spanish, French and Japanese languages. The following year German was added and only last year Mandarin joined the list. This is the department’s effort to enhance the language proficiency and global competencies not only of teachers but of students as well. As noted by Education Secretary Armin Luistro, “knowledge in foreign language will allow us to participate in intellectual discourses during engagement in social, political and economic issues in a wider global and scientific community.” It is indeed time for us to participate in the global arena and bring Philippine public education to the international standards. Good luck! Hao yun!

PST! It’s Juan time Goodbye tardiness, hello punctuality By Christine N. Joson

needs a conditioning process and requires a lot of time (not something modifiable in a snap of one’s fingers). Many people oversee its definition as something fashioned in every human being or what is called “human nature.” In contrast, tardiness is a derivative psychological prototype that is in fact extinguishable by removing the factors which trigger it and encourage its persistence; something comparable to procrastination, work aversion, and/ or postponement of affect. In line with this, President Benigno Aquino III signed a consolidated l a w t h a t

sets the Philippine Standard Time (PST) to be followed by

all government agencies manned by his administration; thus requiring all national and local government offices to display the PST in their official time devices, including bundy clocks used by employees and other types of clocks as a campaign for punctuality and dousing lethargy. The law requires the public school system and the government – local and national – “to conduct a continuing information campaign about the value of time and the need to respect the time of others, in order that the people may realize the imperative of synchronizing the official time.” A milestone? More like a humiliation and manifest evidence that Filipinos still need to be confronted with the constitutional mandate before taking steps to concertedly eliminate sluggishness. It seems like an unproductively drafted law that pushes though faster than any other laws in the legislature. Will it help? No. We’ll still be having those I-feel-likea-thief moments when entering an on-going class; dishing out that “Ma’am, I’ve been stuck in traffic” card every once in a while.

Feature

R e a l - t i m e

r e s c u e r s

By Daisy G. Cordero

Helping individuals unearth and develop their educational, vocational and psychological potentialities thereby achieving an optimal level of personal happiness and social usefulness is one of the roles played by a school counselor. And being one is not a joke. The very concept of counseling is essentially democratic in that the assumptions underlying its theory and practice are, first, that each student and/or individual has the right to shape his own destiny and, second, that the relatively mature and experienced members of the community are responsible for ensuring that each person’s choice shall serve both his own interests, the entire campus and those of society. H i g h school counselors provide academic, career, college access and personal and social competencies with developmental practicable lessons and planning to all students, and individual and group counseling for some students and their families to meet the developmental needs of adolescents. Emphasis is on college access counseling at the early high school level as more school counseling programs move to evidence-based work with data and specific results that show how school counseling programs help to close achievement, opportunity and attainment gaps ensuring all students have access to school counseling programs and early college access activities. The breadth of demands high school counselors face, from educational attainment (high school graduation and some students’ preparation for careers and college) to student social and mental health, has led to ambiguous

Linguistically on-time By Charlene B. Hernandez It has always been awkward to follow the protocol of semantics in informal conversations and day-to-day interchanges when the world we live in continuously transmutes into a highly digital era. In place of sounding intelligent and profound, you just sound pretentious and hollow in effect. What better way to avoid being one actually reeks of wit and social awareness – of what is currently taking place within the field of philology. In line with the advent of modern jargons, here is a compilation of some of Oxford Dictionaries Online’s newfound words: • A/W: autumn/winter (denoting or relating to fashion designed for the autumn and winter seasons of a particular year) • Babymoon: a relaxing or romantic holiday taken by parents-to-be before their baby is born • Emoji: a small digital image or icon used to express an idea or emotion in electronic communication, similar to emoticons • Fauxhawk:a hairstyle in which a section of hair running from the front to the back of the head stands erect, intended to resemble a Mohican haircut • Food baby: a protruding stomach caused by eating a large quantity of food and supposedly resembling that of a woman in the early stages of pregnancy • Geek chic: the dress, appearance, and culture associated with computing and technology enthusiasts, regarded as stylish or fashionable • Phablet: a smartphone having a screen which is intermediate in size between that of a typical smartphone and a tablet computer • Selfie: a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website • Street food: prepared or cooked food sold by vendors in a street or other public location for immediate consumption • Twerk: dance to popular music in a sexually provocative manner involving thrusting hip movements and a low, squatting stance • Unlike: withdraw one’s liking or approval of (a web page or posting on a social media website that one has previously liked) And now that you know a handful of words that have entered the Oxford Dictionaries just recently, you now run neither chance of being labelled a nerd nor most absolutely that pretentiously deep one in your circle of friends. Your timely awareness in the science of linguistics will never be out of date.

role definition. But as guidance counselors of the school would define guidance counseling, “Being a school counselor is not simply a profession but a dedication.” This is pronounced by Mrs. Marilen Paguio, guidance counselor adding further that, “Every single ‘thank you’ that we receive gives us the fuel to keep our engine going.” Indeed, counseling, being one of the boughs of Applied Psychology is a very difficult duty to be accomplished. Playing against the students who misbehave while containing a calm facet and stashing a confrontational value is not what a typical individual can perform. More than patience, a guidance counselor needs wisdom by which the students can be able to be motivated to move forward. But in Mrs. Paguio’s part, it is never always a warfare between good and better. If there’s a profession Mrs. Paguio originally wanted to pursue, it is to become a successful bagoong (anchovies sauce) vendor and not a school counselor. “When I was young, I didn’t see myself as a guidance counselor. I wanted to become a businesswoman, particularly a successful bagoong vendor. But during my high school days, I acted as a Student Assistant in our Guidance Office as part of my scholarship. That experience made me realize that I actually have interest in observing different personalities and behaviors of many people. Since then, my conjecture about myself being a businesswoman has transitioned to something or someone I am today,” Mrs. Paguio maintained. And as previously mentioned, paddling the counseling canoe is a tough profession. “Being a school counselor is neither difficult nor easy rather, it is quite challenging. Unlike my previous profession, I didn’t have a clear to-do list. The case, here, is different. Since we cannot anticipate the situations that would be brought to us, we make sure to lay on the table the things to do every day which in turn occupies a big portion of our daily schedule. We have to be always available to students and teachers whenever they have concerns,” she held. Guidance counselors do not work alone in providing support services to students; they instead supplement the work of pastoral care teams, youth workers, social workers, volunteer agencies, industry, colleges, educational programs, mentoring, psychologists, speech and language therapists, to cite more. There is also a holistic aspect to the guidance and counseling service. You must assess the students’ situation from several different angles – their own perspective, their parents, teachers and any outside agencies or professionals. You must involve everyone in the decisions, you must feed back to everyone on the outcome, you must make sure that the recommendations are followed through and that this is all carefully recorded and evaluated on behalf of the school.

But, can one even imagine a music aficionado, a band vocalist turn into a mental therapist or a psychoanalyst? Ram your suitcase! Mr. Michael Santos who was once part of the “Skabeche” band. Despite the band’s vocals being put on one of top radio programs in the Philippines’ flagship theme song, Mr. Santos decided to relinquish the music industry. “Ito ‘yung pinili ko [na career] after my musical journey kasi mas mabilis ang result, kasi no’ng nasa music industry ako, I always took into consideration na maging bahagi ng social change or kahit individual or personal change, so ‘yung mga lyrics na nasusulat namin noon ay somehow wanting to help people to realize na okay ang magkaroon ng interest or values [sa common good], pero mabagal ang result, ‘di ko agad makita, maramdaman o baka nga ata wala pa. Pero sa counseling, makikita mo agad ‘yun [result], makikita mo na ginagawa ng students ang pinangako n’ya sa sarili n’ya na siya ay papasok o mag-aaral na mabuti kasi ‘yun ang gusto n’ya, e direct at mabilis mo nakikita ang result ng mga layunin mo [na makatulong],” maintained Mr. Santos. Most of a guidance counselor’s work comes with a strict confidentiality clause attached due to sensitive information for students and their families. It is the only free face-to-face counseling service that teenagers can avail of without a referral. It is often the first environment where child abuse is disclosed, or where self harm and suicidal ideation is revealed. The bread and butter work of guidance counselors is to help people, students and parents to make educational and career choices. And we should thank these people, the guidance counselors because every child will now be striding the correct path all because of the high caliber of them. Maybe, not now. But soon enough.

No more excuses about the clock being wrong when one is late for school

Time

and

beyond

By Christine N. Joson

M(Aryan Civilization) used to gaze at

ore than 7000 years ago, the Hindus

the sky and measure the time by looking at the position of stars, the sun, etc. This let them understand time and they used it for various activities like religion, astronomy, astrology, etc. In fact, Vedic Astrology is solely dependent on time of birth, which was calculated without any mechanical devices. There are various opinions about the first civilization to have measured time. Some say the Hindus, some say the Greeks, some say the Egyptians, etc. The water clock is known to have been the mechanism utilized by the Egyptians. This device could measure a certain amount of time dependent upon the amount of water that moved through a port. They were also the first people to have made a calendar consisting of 365 days. The Persians and Sumerians made the hourglass, where time was measured by the amount of sand transferred from one chamber of the device to the other. In spite of the name, it is not necessary that the device measured a time of an hour. There were also hourglasses that measured time of a minute, a minute and half, etc. Similar to the Hindus and Egyptians were the Chinese who measured time in various ways like the direction of wind, etc. But the Chinese were surprised to see the clock, which was brought to China for the first time by European explorers. Europeans were the first to make a mechanical clock similar to the ones we use today. The history of clocks dates back over many centuries. The actual date for the first clock is disputed among historians, but they do agree that the word ‘clock’ was first used in 14th century (around 400 years ago). The word clock is derived from the Latin ‘clocca’ meaning bell. Below is the list of clocks that have been evolving since time immemorial, metamorphosing to how clocks today, as we know them, work.

• The Sundial Sundials are the oldest devices used for measuring time. As the sun moves from East to West, the shadow of the pointer moves around the dial. When using the sundial to tell the time, one looks to the number where the shadow of the sundial is pointing. The drawback with a sundial is that one can only tell the time when the sun is shining, so if it is night time, cloudy or raining then one must use other measures. • The Water Clock A clepsidra (water thief) or water clock was invented by the Egyptians around 1400 B.C. Time was measured by water escaping from a vessel. Two containers were used and one container was placed higher than the other. Water from the higher container traveled down to the small container via a tube. Marks were placed on the containers, and the level of the water where the marks were placed on the containers told the time. Many improvements were made to the water clocks over the years. The Greeks used them and added floats and gears attached to a stick which turned a wheel as the water rose. • The Pendulum Clock Before the pendulum clock was invented, a German man called Peter Henlein, invented the Spring powered clock in 1510. Sadly, the style was wrought with problems, such as inaccuracy. As the clocks became more accurate, so a new device was needed and so in 1577, Jost Burgi invented the minute hand. This addition had many problems and was not considered practical until a man named Christian Huygens invented the pendulum clock. He first came up with this new item in 1656 and by the 1600’s, the clock also had a successful minute hand. The idea of the pendulum clock was simple and is still very popular today. As the pendulum swings left and right, it turns a wheel with many teeth on it. This wheel turns the hour hand and the minute hand on clock face. On the first clocks on this design, the pendulum needed to

swing over a larger area of about 50 degrees, but as time progressed and the clocks improved the pendulum needed to swing less, only 10-15 degrees. However, pendulum clocks also had problems, the major one being that they would stop running after a while and had to be restarted. • Time Zones Clocks became so popular that in 1884 the first time zones were drawn up. As the earth turns, each part of the world experiences ‘day time’ at different times. In 1884, delegates from 25 different countries met and agreed a way of dividing up the world into zones. Greenwich was chosen to be the central point, and the world was thus divided into 24 zones each 15 degrees apart (24 x 15 = 360 degrees or a full circle). • The Quartz Crystal Clocks In the 1920’s, the first Quartz was invented. This works by applying a certain voltage and pressure inside the clock. This will vibrate or oscillate the Quartz at a constant rate. This vibration moves the hands on the clock in a very precise manner, making them very cheap and very accurate. These are the clocks used every day in our houses, offices and schools and in many cases wrists. There are other types of clocks, such as atomic clocks. They are currently the most accurate clocks we have, and they keep time accurately to within a second in tens of millions of years. Now we have Digital Clocks, and the popular Clocks are Projection Clocks where one does not have to raise or turn his head to see the time. One has only to look at the ceiling or the wall where the light and time of the clock is projected. We have Atomic Clocks which keep the most accurate time with the use of Radio Signals from the NASA clock. Many clocks do not have to be reset when one travels or when the time is changed for Daylight Savings Time. Yup, no more excuses about the clock being wrong when one is late for school or for work.

Science

The Filipino community gains clout as…

Domingo accepts Ramon Magsaysay award By Sheryl E. Amar

BAC-TTERY:

Natural metabolism

of microbes convertible to electrical energy? By Joey Anne C. Uy New research demonstrates that bacteria exploit conducting minerals in their environment to shuttle electrons between species, allowing greater growth. Humans have harnessed wind power, hydropower, bio fuel and solar energy for creating electricity, but an overlooked renewable energy source could be right under our feet. Using the small currents created by bacteria living in soil, a group of Harvard students was able to harness and collect that energy in a microbial fuel cell (MFC) for a class project. The most recent microbial-fuelled battery can power a small LED lamp and can last for up to a year. Easy to make and simple to use, the battery costs $10 to $15 U.S. dollars, Tech News Daily reported. Hugo Van Vuuren, one of the students involved in the project said, “In the field, we have seen prototype ‘batteries’ no larger than a ten-liter jerry can generate enough power over time to charge LEDs, radios and cell phones.” Similar study had been conducted and empirically scrutinized by a group of research students in FCLNHS in an Investigatory Project entitled “A Feasibility Study on the Use of Bacteria found in Soil as an Alternative and Renewable Source of Electrical Energy” investigated by Kimberly Sushmitra Samiappan, Angela Fariñas and Bryan Cariño with their research adviser, Mr. Marlon Caluag. The abstract of the study stated the purpose of the experiment which is to test the viability of bacteria found in solid and compare the potential energy yields and cost-benefit models that could be achieved using different types of soil. Deliberately starting from materials that are both abundant and inexpensive, the goal was to refine the design parameters for this new type of microbial fuel cell they named “Bac-ttery” so that it could be more quickly, easily and cheaply manufactured and deployed to remote locations and any public markets and local places where it might be efficient. The research was done to promote and support the Renewable Energy Act of 2008 which aims to enhance the eco-friendly source of energy to diminish the looming energy crisis in the country. According to the Investigatory Project research paper, Bac-ttery is a device which uses the natural metabolism of microbes to produce electrical power. Within the Bac-ttery set-up, microbes use sugars and other nutrients in the surrounding environment to release a portion of the energy contained within that food in the form of electricity. Microbes thrive in all soils, sediments and streams on the planet. Bacteria species like Shewanella onei-

densis, Rhodoferax ferrireducens and Geobacter sulfurreducens found naturally in soils is found to produce respectable amount of electrical potential or voltage. In a compost pile, the product is utilized as a fertilizer. But there are microbes that produce something that is even more powerful that as fertilizers: electron flow. As the microbes eat the waste in the soil, they produce electrons. Those electrons want to flow toward a more positive charge, so they travel through the bacteria network, moving from the graphite-cloth anode through the conductive wire to get to the chicken-wire cathode. As this current flows through the circuit, an LED lights up. The idea of obtaining energy from bacteria began in 1911 with M. C. Potter, a professor of botany at the University of Durham. In his studies of how microorganisms degrade organic compounds, he discovered that electrical energy was also produced. Potter had the idea of trying to harvest this newfound source of energy for human use. He was able to construct a primitive microbial fuel cell, but not enough was known about the metabolism of bacteria for the design to be improved upon. In fact, little development occurred on his primitive designs until the 1980s. M. J. Allen and H. Peter Bennetto from Kings College in London revolutionized the original microbial fuel cell design. Spurred by their desire to provide cheap and reliable power to third world countries, Allen and Bennetto combined advancements in the understanding of the electron transport chain and significant advancements in technology to produce the basic design that is still used in MFCs today. However, use of MFCs in third world countries is still in the pilot stages because of the complexities of simplifying the design enough to allow poor rural farmers to build them. The advancements by the Kings College team have shown the scientific community that the microbial fuel cell can be useful technology and generate increased interest in its development. The experiment which was done by the virtue of esteros and canals within FCLNHS proved that soil can, in fact, function as an electrical system. The prototype produced quantifiable amount of energy out of recyclable materials that are usually seen as waste materials. After all, magnetite and other conducting minerals abound on Earth, and such metal-based grids, by allowing the long-distance transfer of electrons, would foster microbial growth. Humans may benefit from bacterial grid-building as well. Understanding how the microbes construct their grids may help us to build a better fuel cell to put that potential to work for us.

Taking once-in-a-life time opportunity to learn

The Philippine scientific community rejoiced as one of its members, Dr. Ernesto O. Domingo, a national scientist and a Department of Science and Technology academician joins the other equally intelligent Asian achievers on this year’s roster of Ramon Magsaysay awardees, held at the Philippine International Convention Center, August 31. Domingo was selected by the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) for “his exemplary embrace of the social mission of medical science and his profession, his steadfast leadership in pursuing ‘health for all’ as a shared moral responsibility of all sectors, and his ground-breaking and successful advocacy for neonatal hepatitis vaccination, thereby saving millions of lives in the Philippines” after being elected in 1992 to the National Academy of Science and Technology, an advisory body of the Department of Science and Technology. A staunch activist of universal health care and academically engaged with major health research undertakings, Domingo is the newest Filipino to be chosen among Asia’s most excellent and altruistic achievers to receive the very prestigious award considered by many as Asia’s version of the Nobel Prize. His most outstanding scientific contributions include: “Elucidation of the nature of schistosome granuloma and its role in hepatosplenic disease;” “The pathophysiology of hepatosplemic Schistosomiasis japonica in humans;” “The epidemiology and control of Hepatitis B” and; “The pathophysiology, clinical behavior and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma in Filipinos.” Domingo received the Order of National Scientist, the highest recognition given to a Filipino scientist conferred by the Philippine government in May 2010. Domingo specialized in internal medi-

cine at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) with a subspecialty in gastroenterology hepatology at the Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio after earning his degree from the University of the Philippines, Manila in 1961. He then joined the faculty of the UP Manila (UPM) College of Medicine in 1967. He organized and led UPM’s Liver Study Group in undertaking major studies on viral hepatitis including Hepatitis A, B, C, D, E and G, and developing technologies associated with the disease. Among these are the rapid epidemiologic assessment for HbeAG positive individuals, production of diagnostic reagents for the testing of Hepatitis B virus carrier individuals, and microparticle agglutination test for Hepatitis. Findings from his researches, which saw print in a total of 120 original research papers published locally and abroad, became important material for the formulation and implementation of policies and programs by both the private sector and Department of Health, for Hepatitis B immunization and routine Hepatitis B and C screening of blood for transfusion. Domingo was also instrumental in the creation and implementation of the clinical fellowship program of PGH’s clinical departments and the formation of the Clinical Epidemiology Unit. As Chancellor, he also played a major role in the reorganization of UPM in the late 1980s which eventually paved the way for the creation of the Institutes of Socio-Biomedical Research which later became the National Institutes of Health. Joining in with Domingo are Lahpai Seng Raw from Myanmar, Habiba Sarabi from Afghanistan, Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi (Corruption Eradication Commission) from Indonesia and Shakti Samuha (“Power Group”) from Nepal who were presented with their awards, certificates, medallions and prizes in a special ceremony at the Philippine International Convention Center.

Science, don’t fail me now!

Enlivening dying heart cells By Rizza A. Evardone

With spikes of oxygen, heart cells on their last legs can still be re-activated, a Dartmouth researcher discovered in a study published in EMBO Molecular Medicine. Current treatments are not operational at controlling cell damage; they instead only decelerate the movement of congestive heart failure. During a heart attack when the drift of oxygen-rich blood to a fragment of the heart is discontinued, and not rapidly restored, heart muscle begins failing. Destitute of oxygen and other crucial nutrients, cell death remains taking place over a period of time resulting to progressive loss of heart function and congestive heart failure. Professor of Radiology at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Periannan Kuppusamy, Ph.D., found out that vanishing heart cells still contain sufficient oxygen for metabolism and supplementary short-term spikes of oxygen keep the cells alive and full of zip. “We all know that oxygen is crucial for survival, but it is intriguing to know that the same oxygen can be used like a drug to treat disease,” Kuppusamy stated.

Kuppusamy’s investigation squad utilized an animal prototype of acute myocardial infarction and found that daily management of an advanced concentration of oxygen for a short period of time each day prompted spikes in myocardial oxygenation, which then hampered myocardial damage. Inquisitive about the molecular mechanism of oxygen in doctoring myocardial injuries, he began scrutinizing the consequence of oxygen on p53, a transcription element that controls cell cycle and generates programmed cell death. To his surprise, Kuppusamy observed the ‘oxygen spikes’ modifying the function of p53 from a death-inducing protein to promoting transcription of genes that help survive the dying cardiac cells. Kuppusamy understands a connection between the fallouts of the present study to the longstanding practice of breathing calisthenics for human well-being. “Controlled breathing can increase tissue oxygenation, and if practiced on a daily basis, can lead to suppression of disease progression,” he said. Furthermore, Kuppusamy’s research at Dartmouth is also centered on the consequence of oxygen in cancer treatment.

Has Science taken it too far? By Angela U. Fariñas

A S T R O P H Y S I C S

By Jo Anne C. Garlitos

Two Lipana students ran off with a nickel finish in the Training Workshop for Students on Water Rocket Design and Water Rocket Launching competition at the Gawad Kalinga Enchanted Farm, Angat, Bulacan last October 8 to 9, respectively. James Soriano and Angela Fariñas with their coach, Mr. Marlon Caluag ranked 5th in the said competition with the theme,

“Exploring Mars, Discovering Earth,” organized by the Science Education Institute (SEI) in its commitment to promote Space Science among the youth, in partnership with Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation. Although they failed to participate in the 20th Asia Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF) Water Rocket Event in Hanoi, Vietnam, Caluag said, “We were only aiming to attend such a great conference on astrophysics. Thankful kami na nakakuha pa kami ng place sa Water Rocket Launching. Not bad.” “Masaya naman po kami. To think na mayro’ng Science high schools and Laboratory high schools na naka-compete namin, parang kahit anong position hindi namin makukuha,” Soriano added. SEI holds the World Space Week (WSW) annually on October 4-10 as declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 1999. WSW is the largest space event in the world and an ideal time for students and teachers to use space-inspired activities to promote astronomy as a field of study. World Space Week is officially defined as an “International celebration of Science and Technology, and their contribution to the betterment of the human condition.”

BUSTED! More than 2,000 kilograms of Made-in-China beefs have been impounded by the police from a factory in northwest China’s Shaanxi province after having been identified as counterfeited pork. The factory produced and traded between 1,500 to 2,000 kilograms to the local markets in accordance with the report of Taiwan’s Want China Times in which it quoted police as saying the factory processed the pork at night and sold it as beef for between 25 and 33 yuan (between S$5.10 and S$6.70) per kilogram the next day. Real pork, fake beef The fake beef had been treated with chemical substances and dyed with paraffin wax and manufacturing salts to convincingly make it to

look like beef but it was found to be actually made from authentic pork, according to reports. Six beef-manufacturing factories in China have been discovered and shut down after having seized the fake meat being sold to public. The news comes particularly as a disturbing disbelief to Xia’an’s mammoth Muslim faction whose members purchased the fake beef supposing it was Halal. This is not the first time this year that China has been astounded by a fake meat controversy. Last May, residents were even appalled by the discovery that $1.6 million worth of rat, fox and mink meat were passed off as lamb mutton, sold in Jiangsu and Shnghai farmers’ markets, which were treated with chemical additives like gelatin, carmine and nitrate to make them look like muttons.

Science

Include in your Science list

By Angela U. Fariñas, Christine N. Joson

Beyond Science, beyond Einstein

Having written various books anchored on Science and having become one of the pioneers of analytical intelligence, Albert Einstein really had reached the great height on Science. Albert Einstein was a theoretical physicist who is widely considered to have been the greatest physicist of all time. He was best known for the theory of relativity and specifically the formula, mass-energy equivalence, E = mc2, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921, for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect. Not only was Einstein a man of universal intelligence but also a man of wisdom. He proved this through his 300 scientific writings and over 150 non-scientific ones. Below is the list of the top 5 quotes by Einstein worth reflecting and pondering on. Explore and take the risk! 1. “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” The warfare 2. “Intellectuals solve problems; geniuses prevent them.” How far imagination takes you 3. “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” Work hard to earn value 4. “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” Key to playing better than anyone else 5. “You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.”

Inventions Inventors Didn’t Think Would Have Been Invented 1. Curiosity doesn’t always kill the cat

2. Invented in a heartbeat!

• Penicillin tops the list! Originally noticed by a French medical student, Ernest Duchesne, in 1896. Penicillin was re-discovered by bacteriologist Alexander Fleming working at St. Mary’s Hospital in London in 1928. Alexander Fleming didn’t clean up his workstation before going on vacation one day in 1928. When he came back, he observed that a plate culture that he left of Staphylococcus had been contaminated by a blue-green mold and that colonies of bacteria adjacent to the mold were being dissolved. Curious, Alexander Fleming grew the mold in a pure culture and found that it produced a substance that killed a number of disease-causing bacteria. Naming the substance penicillin, Dr. Fleming in 1929 published the results of his investigations, noting that his discovery might have therapeutic value if it could be produced in quantity.

3. A colorful surprise

• Can you imagine the pain of undergoing auto graft and the feeling of having your operation without anaesthesia? Unspeakable horror! Although the true discoverer of anaesthesia is contested, the people who contributed to its development and use were inspired by similar accidental observations. Crawford Long, William Morton, Charles Jackson and Horace Wells all come to mind when talking about anaesthesia. These men realized that in some cases, ether and nitrous oxide (laughing gas) inhibited pain in people under their influence. Wells used the compound as an anaesthetic while he removed his tooth. From there, anaesthesia’s use during medical procedures and surgeries took off. Wells, Morton and Jackson began to collaborate and use anaesthesia in dental practices, while Crawford Long used ether for minor surgeries.

In a world full of aggression, nothing is going to be solved. Same goes with the Earth’s inhabitants, if we let our mad selves overcome our integrity, everything will go out of hand. But in Science, the madder you are, the higher heights you can reach.

Topping the list is Marie Curie who died due to radiation sickness. Furiously devoted to science and driven to succeed, Curie worked in isolation as a student, and later with her husband, discovering radium. Her life was a roller-coaster ride of incredible professional achievement, scrutiny from paparazzi and devastating loss, including the death of loved ones. After the death of her husband, she endured symptoms of major depressive disorder, but redoubled her efforts to isolate radium in its purest form. Marie Curie, the real digger of own grave!

Clocking in at the second spot is the perceived-as-evil, Dr. Victor Frankenstein. Frankenstein is a prototype for all mad scientists. While his initial intentions are not evil, he gets carried away in his quest for knowledge. Frankenstein was an isolated workaholic. His thirst for knowledge and symptoms of mania such as a decreased need for sleep fueled him to do what should have been scientifically impossible: breathe life into a collection of spare human parts. After this terrible accomplishment, Frankenstein showed alarming signs of psychosis, including hallucinations. His family died in the horrible fallout of his actions, plummeting Frankenstein into a major depressive episode before he was murdered by his own monster in the Arctic.

F a s c i n a t i n g

4. Painless discovery

• In 1856, William Henry Perkin, age 18, given a challenge by his professor, August Wilhelm von Hofmann, sought to synthesize quinine, the anti-malaria drug. In one attempt, Perkin oxidized aniline using potassium dichromate, whose toluidine impurities reacted with the aniline and yielded a black solid—suggesting a “failed” organic synthesis. Cleaning the flask with alcohol, Perkin noticed purple portions of the solution. His dye was far better than any dyes that came from nature; the color was brighter, more vibrant, and didn’t fade or wash out.

• Wilson Greatbatch, who saved countless lives with his invention of the implantable cardiac pacemaker, deserves the 2nd spot. In the 1950s, Greatbatch had left the Navy and was working as medical researcher. He was building an oscillator to record heart sounds when he pulled the wrong resistor out of a box. When he assembled his device, it began to give off a rhythmic electrical pulse. It was then he realized his invention could be used as a pacemaker. He spent two years refining his device and was awarded a patent for world’s first implantable pacemaker.

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On whichever level, Science has always stunned us with its new breakthroughs and evolutionary developments across the world, be it social, technological or geopolitical, it continues to up its game. Scientists at the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) were cheered like rock stars when they announced they’d finally caught a glimpse of the biggest and most elusive catch in modern physics: The Higgs boson. This proved why it topped the 1st spot! The particle, which they’re 99.99997 percent sure is the real deal, validates the Standard Model of physics, which explains

W h e r e

Eight years since Angel Locsin flew as Darna in 2005, where is she when the then-beautiful Earth that transitioned to an unbearable planet needs her? Eight years is not really that protracted, but with so many things that have changed since its airing, eight years already seems like a decade. For example, climate change. Scientists were sounding the warnings about global warming, driven by human burning of carbon-based fuels, long before

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Saving the best for last! Captain Nemo secured the last spot because he is simply, uhm, mind-troubling! This mysterious explorer and scientist first appeared in Jules Verne’s 1870 novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Vingt Mille lieues sous les mers). A mechanical genius, Nemo single-handedly designed and built the Nautilus, a submarine of stupendous proportions that was often mistaken for an undersea monster. Nemo likely suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder following traumatic experiences associated with war and the death of his family. Re-experiencing symptoms sent him into an anguished and avoidant lifelong undersea journey focused on revenge against anyone he considered a tyrant. Nemo also demonstrated levels of empathy higher than what is typically seen in mad scientists, giving undersea treasures to those fighting oppression around the world.

the recreation of Mars Ravelo’s fiction, Darna. In 2005, the year the show re-aired, the National Academy of Sciences published a report that noted that roughly half the increase in temperature of the North Atlantic’s waters in the past 10,000 years had been achieved in only a decade. But since then, some of the effects of the changing climate have become more obvious -- and destructive. A 2010 Huffington Post article detailed many of these alarming signs, ranging from the bleaching and death

how, if not why, the universe is able to take on a tangible existence. “There’s no underestimating the significance of this discovery,” said Jeffrey Kluger at TIME. “No Higgs, no mass; no mass, no you, me or anything else.” And second of all, why are high school narcissists disproportionately cool? A small but interesting study reveals that people possessing “dark” qualities like narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy were consistently rated as more attractive than so-called normal people.

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of coral reefs from increased ocean temperatures, to the complete disappearance of Alaska’s Muir Glacier, which was 2,000 feet thick in 1941. In low-lying coastal areas of the developing world, people already are being forced to relocate because of rising sea levels. The problems, unfortunately, are likely to become much worse. Some experts predict that the planet could have one billion climate refugees by 2050. Scary! Has anyone of you heard that Darna is coming back in 2013?

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Sports

EDITORIAL

Bullying in sports scene,

a foreseeable event T

he fact that bullying falls short of moral standards makes it an unspeakable mental horror; a kind of mental horror which can otherwise be called as a lack of bravery; this insufficiency for backhanded false courage makes an individual the core subject of bullying. Of course, being the staple of ridicule lowers one’s self-esteem and by the time our fears overpower our ability to reciprocate the conflict, we are no longer aware that we are already deprived of hope and enveloped by cowardice and fear. Bullying will continue to take larger region.

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The arenas at which bullying is inevitably abused will be fielded by more and more people. The athletic sphere in its profound sense is not even a strong combater of bullying as it was actually frequented by the rivalries of sports oftentimes, including our Pambansang Kamao Manny Pacquiao. A few hardcore Manny Pacquiao aficionados (referred to as “Pactards”) flooded the web with Floyd Mayweather, Jr. depicted as a chicken or a Kentucky Fried Chicken mascot. Following this incident, “Pacman” haters, undoubtedly

many of them, Mayweather fans, exacted revenge by spreading parody memes, as well as, television commercials of the ten-time champion knocked unconscious at the hands of Juan Manuel Marquez. What made some posts troubling is that they not only made fun of Pacquiao’s knockout but also mocked his Christian religion. One meme shows the unconscious boxer spread out before Jesus and the 12 disciples during the last supper. The Philippine congressman regards himself as a born-again Evangelical. Other memes refer to Pacquiao as the “2012 planking champion of the world.” Canadian singer Justin Bieber joined the bash by hurling insults at Pacquiao on his Instagram account on December 10. In the words of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, “The croaking raven doth bellow for revenge.” Many of the reasons why bashers and/or bullies disgorge pure rancour are because of the following reasons: Haters have been waiting to exact revenge on “Pactards” after years of enduring racist comments on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. Since 2009, Mayweather has been depicted as a chicken or KFC mascot on countless altered photos. Such memes are typically laced with racially-charged undertones; Manny Pacquiao has long tormented Mexicans as well as Juan Manuel Marquez fans by defeating the nation’s best fighters, including Marco Antonio Barrera (twice), Erik Morales (twice), and Marquez (twice); Forums often go un-monitored by web administrators; Some people are just plain insensitive.

Pacquiao more fueled after successive losses By Lester D. Lañada

inoy boxing aficionados will be seeing a brisker Manny Pacquiao in Macau on November 23, Robert Garcia warned the press. Rios and Pacquiao will both step into the ring on the back of defeats with ‘Pac Man’ returning after successive losses - in an attempt to get their respective careers back on track. The winner will gain the vacant WBO international welterweight bout. Timothy Bradley trounced the Pambansang Kamao in June last year before he suffered a knockout defeat at the hands of long-time rival Juan Manuel Marquez in December. Rios lost by unanimous decision to Mike Alvarado in his last outing in March. However, despite Pacquiao’s recent plunge, Garcia is obstinate his fighter has fully prepared for the Filipino who dominated world boxing and established himself as the pound-for-pound king. Garcia told RingTV.com, “We’re training for the Pacquiao that has done everything. The Pacquiao that is so fast, and so powerful, and who has knocked everybody out. We’re preparing for the

By Arjay S. Warde

Suzanne Roces; the woman of the hour

Having her volleyball skills—and athleticism, in general —since sixth grade, Roces truly does have the bragging rights in the athletics sphere. “Grade six po ako nagstart maglaro in Bulacan. Nung bata pa ako mahilig po talaga ako maglaro ng bola, basketball pa nga po eh.

Noong elementary po ako, tinuruan po ako ng mother ko maglaro ng volleyball, then nakita ako ng coach ng volleyball sa school namin. Tinanong niya ako kung marunong daw ba ako and then I said yes, pero basic lang po alam ko noon, digs lang hanggang sa na-develop po yun skills ko.” Subsequent to her maturity in the volleyball showground, Roces has also become the 2002 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Rookie of the Year; “one of the greatest achievements of her life,” she said. Adding to her winning cap is the time when she was summoned to represent the Philippines in the international arena. When asked about what she felt embodying the large and multitudinous volleyball communities in the RP, Roces said, “Proud [ako]. Kasi po maganda po ang ipakita sa iba’t ibang players ng different countries na ang Phillipines ay hindi rin magpapahuli when it comes to volleyball.” It would seem as if there is nothing Roces could ask for, she has the wit, the mind, the beauty and the strength. However, being in UE apparently is not enough for Ro-

Pacquiao that’s scary.” “We don’t like to publicize what’s going on in training, but I’m so impressed. Pacquiao’s been knocking our sparring partners out. He’s doing a good job, looking so strong and so fast, and we’ve still got six weeks before the fight,” he added. “He’s going to fight at welterweight so he doesn’t have to kill himself to make weight. He’s strong and he’s walking around 10, 12 pounds over the weight. But at six weeks before the fight that’s no problem. Pacquiao’s going to be faster.” Garcia notified, “I don’t see the same Pacquiao of five years ago. I know that a lot of people will agree with me, but we still need to prepare for that scary Pacquiao.” Pacquiao needs to whip Rios to maintain elite boxing status, analysts said.

Azkals back on prime

Most run-after player of V-League By John Patrick V. Reyes rom the small sports arena in Bulacan to the international stadium, from representing her school to representing the whole country, Suzanne Roces has given the V-League community more than what she should have.

ces to prove her weight. Roces told the press that she wants to play for the University of Sto. Tomas (UST), “Champion team sila eh and maganda talaga ang standard when it comes to studies.” Still happy attending University of the East (UE), though. “I think UE is one of the schools na may madaming championship sa volleyball eh pero medyo sad kasi sa five years na paglalaro ko sa UE 3rd lang yung pinakamataas na rank na nadala ko sila. Kahit sino naman siguro gusto mag-champion.” Volleyball as a life-changer And because of her fine dedication to her craft, Roces refers to volleyball as a life-changing sport. “Because of volleyball nakapag-aral ako, madami ako natutunan like self discipline, ‘yung tiwala sa sarili, responsibility, tiwala sa ibang tao especially sa teammates ko.” In her closing remarks, Roces advised those aiming to become volleyball players in the future to love what they are doing. “Enjoy what you’re doing. Love it. Dedicate yourself to it; dedicate ninyo rin sa family ninyo and the people who support you.”

he national men’s football team, Philippine Azkals face a tall order when they go up against Pakistan in the last day of the Philippine Peace Cup last October 15 at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City, Rappler reports. With the team shaken by an earthquake, the Azkals try to bounce back from a shocking loss to Chinese Taipei and beating Pakistan by scoring at least two goals will secure the Philippines’ successful title defense. Star midfielder Stephan Schrock received a pass from Patrick Reichelt for the crucial score to give the Azkals a two-goal victory to overcome inferior differential and finish on top of the three-team

tournament. The Azkals’ bid for the title suffered an early blow after Kaleem Ullah beat Jerry Barbaso inside the box to score at the 15th minute for Pakistan. Losing some players due to sickness and injuries, Azkals coach Hans Michael Weiss was forced to experiment his line up, putting midfielders Reichelt and Schrock up front. The gamble paid dividends for the Azkals as Schrock got free inside the box to dish an assist to Reichelt, who hit the back of the net at the 33rd minute to tie the match. Chris Greatwich then scored a rebound goal off a Reichelt miss at the 78th minute to give the Azkals a 2-1 lead. After failing to hit the crucial third goal, the Azkals looked like they were on their way to losing the crown. But Schrock came to the rescue, speeding his way past defenders for a shot at the 88th minute to seal the Filipinos’ triumph. The victory put the Azkals on top of the table with three points and a plus-one goal differential, edging Pakistan and Chinese Taipei which, despite also having three points each, had an inferior goal differential at the end of the tournament. The Azkals swept its matches to win the Peace Cup last year for their first tournament title in almost a century.

From rags to riches, humility plunked Arwind Santos to the longed-for victory

Santos receives first-ever MVP award By Bryan C. Cariño

rwind Santos accepted his first Most Valuable Player (MVP) plum after a fine seven-year career in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) which saw him snare two Best Player of the Conference citations and a finals MVP plum since 2006; reminding Santos of his inspiring ragsto-riches tale. The 32-year-old forward from Pampanga edged Ginebra star guard LA Tenorio by just 21 points in one of the closest races for the MVP award. Santos got a huge boost from the total statistical points and media votes for a total of 2,840 points, as Tenorio got the nod of the players and the PBA for 2,819.

In his acceptance speech, Santos thanked the PBA awarding committee, “Maraming salamat po sa award. Nabigyan po ng kulay ang buhay ko.” According to the PBA head statistician Fidel Mangonon, Santos even hard-pressed his personal best of making the legendary first team and all-defensive team for the sixth straight year. Santos went down his knees on the court and winched the trophy and pointed up to the sky by the time he trodden off the stage at the Mall of Asia Arena. He said he was jogged by his memory of how he turned from selling

scraps and scuffles of steels (bakal-bote), working as a carwasher and driving the pedicab, to cite more, for a living in Pampanga to being a successful and popular basketball player. Santos, in a sympathetic tone, expressed, “Lahat po dinanas ko. Lahat po ginawa ko para mabuhay po kaming pamilya.” “Ito po ang nagsasabi na kahit mahirap may chance po makuha ang award na ‘to. Sana po na-inspire ko kayo.” Santos added that the recognition was a testament of how hard work and opportunities through basketball could change one’s life after paying off big.

FCLNHS athletes nail victory in EDDIS Meet By Lester D. Lañada

CLNHS athletes tasted gold, bronze and silver after as if putting under their control the 2013 EDDIS Meet which took place at Alexis G. Santos, Bustos, Bulacan last September 26-27. Mariella Hernandez of IVPaterno effortlessly swept like a tennis ball the gold in Table Tennis (Bracket B-Girls) category, reigning in as champion and qualifying in the Provincial Meet. “Sobrang nakakatuwa na champion [ako]. Sa dinamirami ng magagaling sa [field] na ‘to, ako ‘yong hinirang na champion. Nagpapasalamat ako dahil magaling ‘yung coach ko at dahil na rin sa training, natuto ako.” Joining Hernandez’s gold finish is Rayven Lee Barlaan of IV-Bonifacio who held sway the top position in the 400m sprint category, while placing 4th in 100m and 200m sprints. “Masaya kasi mas lalong nagkaro’n ng physical equilibrium [‘yong mga bata] dahil nga sa re-scheduling. Hindi nasayang ‘yong oras, pagod at pagbubuno ng lakas dahil nagkamit tayo ng karangalan,” said Mr. Alberto Santiago, Barlaan’s coach. Barlaan and two other athletes competed last October 15 in the supposedly September 26-27 event due to the typhoon that hit the province.

GOLD IN BALL: Mariella Henandez swept the gold in the table tennis category.

A fine weaving Along with Hernandez are 28 players from different categories who collectively kicked glory. The winners include Jan Angelo Lisboa from III-Lead, Table Tennis (Bracket A-Boys) who seized a silver finish. Adding to the silver finish list are Nelson Cezar from III-Sodium in Table Tennis (Badminton B-Boys) category; Ver Paguiligan of IV-Aquino in Chess (Boys) category; Jovelyn Quevada of IV-Viola also in Chess (Girls) category and; Gemma Belen of III-Gold in 110m hurdles category. Joan Sotea of III-Boron made it to the Final Four after seizing a bronze finish in throwing events, placing in at 3rd in Discus Throwing category. Everything is a story about snatching laurels and bagging rhapsodies as Volleyball (Boys) and Volleyball (Girls), in addition, spiked the homage after putting to their arm a bronze accolade. Adrian Casipi of III-Chlorine was fortuitously singled out to join the Volleyball (Boys) in the Provincial Meet as the team spiker. “Puhunan namin dito ‘yung determinasyon, lakas ng loob at lakas pisikal. Dahil kung wala ‘yun, siguro hindi kami mag-uuwi ng anumang medalya. Gano’n naman palagi ang dala-dala namin tuwing may laro. Those three are what make bringing home bacon much easier. Those three are what make this bacon enormously accessible,” Mr. Regalado Hernandez, the coach, stated. The qualifiers will be vying for another victory and fighting tooth and nail in the Provincial Meet from November 5 to 8 at Bulacan Sports Complex, Sta. Isabel, City of Malolos.

HURDLE KING: Rayven Lee Barlan leaped for the 1st place that qualified him in the Provincial Meet.

Intramural sees light of day Eagles eye another feat By Arjay S. Warde Hard work always pays off; this was proven by Blue Eagles, the Seniors’ team, after tuckering out its foes by a large margin, copping a tiptop, bang-up gold finish in the 2013 Intramurals last 10th - 11th of October. Blue Eagles pilfered gold in Sack Race, Chess (Boys and Girls), Table Tennis (Girls), Badminton (Boys and Girls), Volleyball (Girls) categories, making the team emerge as the over-all champion in the said event. Eagles trounced the Juniors’ team, Red Warriors with quite a huge disparity of points with the former adding to its cap the 180-point culmination while the latter racking up a total of 151 points. Warriors, having hailed as the 1st placer on the other hand broached contentment with the

win. Asked about his victory, Jan Angelo Lisboa of III - Lead upheld, “Masaya. Kasi first place ako. Hindi ko rin masasabing malungkot ako. Champion eh. A win is a win.” Highlights Other highlights include the opening of the event, the hotlyanticipated Mr. and Ms. Intramurals 2013 in which four males and four females from all year levels walked on their flashy and athletic-looking twinsets and the singing contest. Manuel Jr. Pinon and Aira Via Gil De Jesus of Red Warriors reigned as Mr. And Ms. Intramurals 2013. “Bukod sa beauty, naging panlaban ko rin yun ‘tindig sa harap ng mga Lipanian,” De Jesus stated. Christine Balce of Grade 8-Amethyst showed her vocal power and wowed the Lipanian crowd

as she grabbed the 1st spot, Arlene Bacolod of IV-Rizal was hailed as the 2nd placer, Ariane Marie Rosales of Grade 7-Lirio placing in at 3rd and Cheeza Sualivio of IV-Ponce at 4th. Other teams in the top 4 are the Yellow Dragons placing 2nd and the Green Archers securing the 3rd spot. “Another successful Intramurals has just transpired. This is once again a by-product of concerted efforts and tamed unity,” Mr. Edgardo J. Mendoza, school principal said. Intramurals is being held annually in the school between teams of equivalent age or athletic ability to promote wellness and encourage students to get involved in recreational sports and athletics as a whole.

VOL. 10, NO. 1

OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2013

After filching five medals

Judokas punch ticket to SEA Games By John Patrick V. Reyes

THE POWER OF JUDO. 5 Filipino judokas snatched golds in their respective weight divisions on Pre-SEA Games Judo Tournament in Naypyitaw, Myanmar.

BEYOND COMPARE. Blue Eagles spiked glory anew after reigning in with a gold finish in the Intramurals 2013.

ive Filipinos led by veteran Helen Dawa knocked gold medals in their respective weight divisions on the first day of the Southeast Asian Judo Championships or preSEA games Judo tournament in Naypitaw, Myanmar, October 18. Dawa bagged the gold in the 48kg class, while Jenielou Mosqueda topped the 57kg weight division. Bryn Quillotes claimed the gold in the 60kg weight, and Lloyd Dennis Catipon and Gilbert Ramirez topped the 66kg and 73kg men’s division, respectively. Philippine Judo Federation president Dave Carter said the gold winners are now assured of going to the Southeast Asian Games in

Myanmar, based on the prerequisite set by the Philippine SEA Games Task Force. “As per condition laid out, gold and silver medalists in this event will be included in the delegation for the 27th SEA Games,” said Carter. Three more golds are expected to be won by the Philippine Judo team as Filipino-Japanese players; Kyomi Watanabe, Kodo Nakano and Kenji Yahata are all favorites in their respective weight divisions. The total number of athletes in the Philippine delegation to the Myanmar Sea Games of 206 may now increase with the inclusion of the five judoka gold medalists.