...the Miss Universe Canada 2013

Pinay to represent Canada in 2013 Miss Universe

 

By Miguel Dumaual, ABS-CBNnews.com

05/28/2013

 

 

MANILA -- A former "Pinoy Big Brother" housemate is set to represent Canada in the upcoming 2013 Miss Universe pageant, after being belatedly declared winner in the national competition.

Riza Santos (left) is Miss Universe Canada 2013. Denise Garrido (right) is 3rd runner-up. Photos courtesy of the official website of Beauties of Canada

Riza Santos, who represented Calgary in the 2013 Miss Canada pageant, was named first runner-up during the coronation night held Sunday (Manila time).

Candidate Denise Garrido from Bradford was initially declared Miss Universe Canada.

On Tuesday (Manila time), however, pageant organizer Beauties of Canada (BOC) announced that it had erroneously announced the winner and runners-up of the competition.

In the "final results" released on BOC's official website, the organization said Garrido placed 3rd runner-up. Santos, whose parents are both Filipinos, was named Miss Universe Canada 2013.

Offering its "sincere apology" to Garrido, BOC said the "human error [in determining the winner was] discovered while validating the results."

It added: "Beauties of Canada congratulates Riza Santos as the winner of Miss Universe Canada 2013 competition, and looks forward to working with her as she prepares to represent our country at Miss Universe 2013."

The 25-year-old Santos is a veteran pageant contestant, having won two other beauty competitions in Canada -- Miss Earth in 2006, and Miss World in 2011.

Although born and raised in Canada, Santos is pure Filipino. Her father, Ruel Santos, is from Bulacan; while her mother, Dina Buenaventura, hails from Bataan.

In 2007, Santos was among the housemates of the second "Celebrity Edition" of the hit ABS-CBN reality TV show "Pinoy Big Brother."

With an estimated 1.6 million text votes, Santos won second place at the show's conclusion.
Following her stint as a housemate, Santos appeared in several Kapamilya programs, including the concert variety show "ASAP," and TV series like "Palos" and "I Love Betty La Fea."

As Miss Universe Canada, Santos will compete with the Philippines' delegate to the Miss Universe pageant, Ariella Arida, later this year.

 

...the Robotic Olympiad top awardees

PHL students win top awards in Robotics Olympiad

 

 

Written by Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco

Business Mirror

03 March 2013

 

THE Department of Education (DepEd) welcomed with pride two teams that represented the country in the 2012 World Robotics Olympiad (WRO) where they won the gold and silver medals. DepEd officials expressed confidence that the team the country fields in this year’s edition of the Robotics Olympiad will retain the crown.

 

Education Undersecretary for Plans and Programs Yolanda Quijano personally welcomed the winning teams composed of students from the Dr. Yanga Colleges Inc. (DYCI) in Bocaue, Bulacan and the Grace Christian College (GCC) in Quezon City in a simple ceremony at the DepEd Central Office recently. The teams brought with them their innovative robotic inventions that won them the gold and silver awards held in November in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

 

Quijano paid tribute to the students for besting some 405 teams from 30 countries worldwide, citing the expertise of Filipino students in science and technology.

 

“This is something that we should be proud of, especially since we bagged the first and second place in the competition. This is not the first time, though, that our team won the top awards,” Quijano said, adding that “I know that this year, we will also bag the top honors.”

 

Mylene Abiva, national organizer of the Philippine Robotics Olympiad, said the country also won the top award (gold) in 2007 and in 2010 when the country hosted the event.

 

Abiva said the team from DYCI composed of students Claire Receli Renosa, Trisha Carmela Santos and Chelsea Andrea Morales and their coach Romyr Gimeno and director Michael Yanga won the gold medal while the silver medal was awarded to the GCC team composed of students Patricia Ong, Josh Daniel Ong, Calvin Alexander Yu-Ng, their coach, Melanie Tizon and Wareen Ong Pe and supervisor Lucy Sia.

 

The DYCI team presented their winning robotic invention dubbed H.E.R.O (Humanoid for Educational Reinforcement Operation), a robot whose aim is to effectively connect with people through education.

 

The robot clad with recycled materials made from discarded aluminum and peanut-butter bottle caps can mimic facial expressions; play rock, paper and scissors game; and be used as visual aids for students. Moreover, it has a feature called Stratified Learning Evaluation Scheme, where students learn the basics of English, science and mathematics through video lessons aided by puppets.

 

The GCC team presented their I-Learn (Interactive Learning with Exciting and Advanced Robot Navigation) robot which they said offers alternative learning through interactive activities to help students develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

 

Among these activities are Codebreaker which is a teasing activity for students that challenges their logical reasoning and thinking skills; and Hotshots, a lively activity youngsters can use to master counting and recognition of basic colors.

 

In a related development, both Quijano and Abiva said contrary to perception that only private institutions can afford to participate in such competitions, public schools have actively participated in the elimination round for the Philippine Robotics Olympiad.

 

 

...the Olympic cyclist

The only Asian in the latest Olympic sport, BMX cycling, is Pinoy

 

RENEE FOPALAN,

GMA News

August 8, 2012

 

 

Twenty-five year old Filipino-American Daniel Caluag is the only Asian competing in the BMX racing event at the 2012 London games.

 

BMX is one of the four cycling disciplines, together with track, mountain biking, and road racing. It is only the second time that BMX Racing will be conducted in the Olympics after it was introduced at the 2008 Beijing games for the first time.

Caluag was born in Chino, California in 1987 to Filipino parents. According to an interview with the Wall Street Journal, his father came from Bulacan while his mother is from Nueva Ecija.

At the age of 10, Caluag started riding, before eventually winning his first major title in 2007. In 2008, after failing to qualify to represent the US team in BMX cycling at the Beijing Olympics, the three-time ABA #1 Pro Cruiser champion decided to pursue a degree in nursing at Lindsey Wilson College in Kentucky. There, he became the captain of the school cycling team that won the first US Cycling BMX National Championships held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center earlier this year.

In an interview with his college athletics website, the world no. 84 shared that his decision to represent the Philippines came about due to several reasons, including missing the cut for the American team and losing his BMX sponsorship in the US.

Having two Filipino parents, Caluag opted to process his dual citizenship so he can try to qualify for the Philippines.

"The US has so many great athletes and there are only three slots in BMX. Some countries have three slots to qualify and only have one good athlete. Knowing that, I thought I could race for the Philippines and maybe be in contention for a medal," said Caluag.

The newest event to be added to the Olympic program, BMX traces its roots from motocross racing in the United States. BMX, being the pedaled version of its motorized predecessor, also contains bumpy dirt rides. The usual 450-meter track is finished within 40 seconds, with riders attempting to finish with the best time as seven other bikers race alongside them.

Caluag is expected to ride first on Wednesday at 1040pm (Manila time). In the seeding round, Caluag will only get to go around the track once to determine his place coming into the quarterfinals on Thursday at 10pm (Manila time).  - AMD, GMA News

...the Sailor becomes the designer

Fil-Am ex-sailor places 2nd in 'Fashion Star' design tilt in US

May 26, 2012

GMA News

Jessica Sanchez, the 16-year-old Filipino-Mexican-American runner-up in the reality singing contest "American Idol," was not the only person with Filipino roots to bring honor to the Philippines recently.

Like Sanchez, Filipino-American Ronnie Escalante Jr., 33,  also placed second in a US reality show -- National Broadcasting Company's (NBC) "Fashion Star," the search for the next big brand in fashion.

According to a report of the news site Asian Journal, Escalante was declared runner-up of "Fashion Star' after 10 weeks of amazing showmanship.

The grand prize winner was Kara Laricks who received a $6 million contract for her creations to be sold at Macy’s, H&M and Saks Fifth Avenue, three of America’s biggest retailers.

The show gave 14 unknown designers the opportunity to ‘be the next big brand in fashion’ when they showcased their designs every episode to America under the guidance of celebrity mentors and fashion moguls Jessica Simpson, Nicole Richie and John Varvatos.

Asian Journal said many Filipino-Americans were rooting for Escalante, dubbed the “resident master of flounce and glamour” who earned a total of $420,000 in four sales.

On a blog posted on the NBC website a day after the finale, Escalante said: “Last night was bittersweet.. The Fashion Star experience has been a life-altering experience. And sadly, it’s over for now… I won’t trade it for anything. And as the other designers say, ‘it takes a lifetime to get in the room around these people."

The Navy Times Scoop Deck earlier said Escalante was a former sailor who grew up in an agricultural province -- Bulacan -- but was "surrounded by fashion, as his cousin worked as a ‘beader’ in a local fashion house."

His biography posted on the official website of "Fashion Star" said "at the age of 17, Escalante and his family moved to the US and soon after, he joined the US Navy where he served for four years."

After serving in the military, Escalante studied at a fashion design school in San Francisco.

Escalante later moved to Columbus, Ohio to design for Abercrombie and Fitch at their headquarters.

He worked in the Female Outerwear Department for two years where he learned the tricks of the trade not only in fashion but also in business. - with Andrei Medina, VVP, GMA News

...the double dead detector

Anti-botcha robot bags award at int’l contest

 

ABS-CBNnews.com

Posted at 05/10/2012

 

 

 

Students from DYCI, who represented the Philippines in the First Lego League, pose for a photo after winning third in the Best Presentation category. Photo courtesy of Beryl Jhan Cruz

MANILA, Philippines – A robot that can detect “botcha” or double-dead meat won an award in an international competition held late last month.

The “Meat’s Anti-Germs and Infection Solution” or MAGIS Version 2 bested 76 other teams and bagged the third Best Project Presentation award at the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Lego League World Festival, which was held in Missouri from April 25 to 28.

The robot was created by a team of high school students from Dr. Yanga’s College Inc. in Bulacan.
It is made of stainless steel, aluminum and plastic and is equipped with color and temperature sensors to detect contaminated meat.

One of the coaches of the team, Beryl Jhan Cruz, noted that this is the first time that the Philippines joined the FIRST Lego League.

“I’m very proud. It’s the country’s first time to join the contest and we placed third in Best Presentation. They did a good job. Not all first-timers win in an international competition,” Cruz said.

For its part, the Department of Science and Technology – Science Education Institute (SEI) congratulated the Philippine robotics team for a good showing in the international stage.

“With this victory, we will continue to support endeavors that will develop a pool of local robotics experts who will soon lead the country in providing solutions to S&T- (science and technology) related problems,” SEI director Dr. Filma Brawner said.

‘Not that far’

The Best Presentation award is one of the 15 categories in the FIRST Lego League.

Other categories include Champion’s, NASA Food for Thought, Adult Coach/Mentor, Gracious Professionalism, Inspiration, Teamwork, Young Adult Mentor, Innovative Solution, Research, Judges, Mechanical Design, Programming, Strategy and Innovation, and Robot Performance.

Cruz said the Philippines’ victory in the FIRST Lego League shows that the country’s ability to compete in robotics competitions “is definitely there.”

“We’re not that far,” he said, adding that the key to the country’s victory not only lies on the team, but also on financial and organizational support from the government and other private institutions.

Meanwhile, the team hopes that the National Meat Inspection Service will adopt their invention in inspecting botcha.

---

...the Blue Ridge's Best Sailor

Best sailor on US command ship is Pinoy

VERONICA VELARDE-PULUMBARIT

GMA News

March 26, 2012

 

 

The best sailor on the USS Blue Ridge — the "finest flagship" of the United States — is a Filipino, one of the ship's ranking officials said.

LtJG Clinton Beaird, Public Affairs Officer, said of Filipino Senior Chief Petty Officer Ed Agustin: "He’s the best sailor that we have on board." 

The USS Blue Ridge is the US Navy's most technologically advanced ship. It is the permanent flagship of "Commander," the navy's Seventh Fleet. 

During Operations "Desert Storm" and "Desert Shield" in the 1990s, the USS Blue Ridge served as the flagship for the Commander of the US Naval Forces Central Command. 

Beaird said Agustin, 47, was one of some 76 Filipinos serving on the USS Blue Ridge. The Filipinos represent some 12 percent of the ship's nearly 1,000 crew.

Asked by GMA News Online why he was considered as the "best sailor" of USS Blue Ridge, Agustin said, "Dito sa military, nag-eexcel ang mga Pilipino. Kasi karamihan ang mga nagjo-join sa Navy sa US bata pa, 17 or 18 years old. Tayo, [mga Pilipino], nagjo-join mga 24 [years old] na, mature na, mas dedicated na sa trabaho."

Agustin, one of the ship's sailors who were recruited from Subic Bay in the Philippines, said he was in charge of the ship's maintenance.

He was born and raised in the Philippines. His family is from Balagtas, Bulacan, and he studied at the University of the East.

He said the last time he came home to the Philippines was "two or three years ago. Exciting. I was looking forward to sinangag, diniguan, papaitan."
 

Asked what he liked about working for the US Navy, Agustin said, "Yung retirement is guaranteed. After 20 years makakapag-retire na ako. Wala kang makikitang trabaho na after 20 years pwede ka nang mag-retire. Pwede kang umuwi ng Pilipinas."

Manila: 'A favorite port of sailors'

Captain Daniel Grieco, who assumed command of the USS Blue Ridge in May last year, said: "Manila has long been a favorite port visit for sailors. This visit provides our sailors the opportunity to appreciate  the unique Philippine culture and to experience the sights and sounds of this busy international city."

A decorated officer, Grieco holds master's degrees in Business Administration (from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University) and National Security Affairs and Strategic Studies (from the US Naval War College).

Captain Derek Rey, who was born and raised in the US but whose parents are both Filipinos, said he was looking forward not only to visiting places such as Intramuros or Corregidor but also tasting Pinoy food. 

"I like nilaga, pancit, lumpia — anything you have in birthday parties," Rey said. 

Rey said he told his colleagues at the USS Blue Ridge that "the values of the Filipinos are
very much aligned with the Navy and Marine Corps."

"They [Filipinos] value honor, courage, and commitment and hard work. Those are the values that we embody and the military as well," Rey said.

He thinks his colleagues would "feel right at home in the Philippines."
 
IT seaman Jen Romnick Escano, a satellite communications operator, was also born and raised in the US to Filipino parents. "My mom is Caviteño but my dad is from Pangasinan."

Escano said "it feels great being able to come to the mother country. It’s nice to come back to the mother country."

He said the last time he was in the Philippines he was "too young." Now he feels he can appreciate the country and its culture even more. "I can’t wait to have balut. A lot of my friends are afraid of balut but I'm not," he said.
 

All in the "Navie"
 
Meanwhile, a junior officer, Ensign Maria Josefa Veloria, 25, enlisted in the US Navy as a Logistics Specialist after graduating from the Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Illinois.

A daughter of Brig. Gen. Mariano Veloria, Maryjo — Pepay to her family and friends — ranked first out of 800 sailors in Military Excellence.

A member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class 1979, Gen. Veloria is now the commander of the 53rd Engineering Brigade of the Philippine Army.

Maryjo said out of six siblings, four of them are in the US Navy. The eldest child in the family, Maryjo said she has been with the US Navy for five years now.

She has visited 34 countries and Dubai was the place she liked best. "Iba po talaga siya sa mga napuntahan ko," Maryjo said.

Her mom Navie, who welcomed her at the Manila South Harbor with her dad, said she was the first "Navie" member of the family.

In jest, their mom said all of her four children followed in her footsteps and chose to become Navy personnel and not an Army man like their father.
 
First cousin of Migz Zubiri

Meanwhile, Gunnery sergeant Elwin Zubiri, 31, a first cousin of former Senator Miguel "Migz" Zubiri, said his job was to be a "liaison between the Navy and the Marine corps."

He said he was the only Filipino marine officer on board the USS Blue Ridge.

Zubiri said he feels a little nervous whenever he hears negative news about the Philippines or its neighboring countries.
 

"There’s still a little bit of, you know, a little bit of nervousness. You’ve got family here, what’s gonna happen?" Zubiri said.

Fast facts about the USS Blue Ridge

• There are approximately 650 Blue Ridge sailors, 350 US 7th Fleet staff embarked, and up to 450 more personnel during exercises aboard USS Blue Ridge.

• Command ship USS Blue Ridge has two commands aboard: the embarked 7th Fleet staff members and Blue Ridge crew. The 7th Fleet staff commands and controls ships and the other units assigned to 7th Fleet region. 

• The USS Blue Ridge was commissioned in 1970. First stationed in San Diego from 1970 to 1979, Blue Ridge was deployed to Yokosuka, Japan in 1979.

• USS Blue Ridge is referenced as LCC-19 (meaning Amphibious Command and Control ship number 19).

• The entire 7th Fleet can be coordinated in real-time using the advanced array communications systems aboard Blue Ridge.

• The 7th Fleet’s area of responsibility encompasses more than 48 million square miles - from the Kuril Islands in the north to the Antarctic in the south, and from the International Date Line to the 68th meridian east, which runs down from the India-Pakistan border.

• The area includes 35 maritime countries and the world’s five largest foreign armed forces. Five of the seven U.S. Mutual Defense Treaties are with countries in the area; Republic of the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Japan, and Thailand. Half of the world’s population lives within the 7th Fleet area of responsibility.

• At any given time, there are more than 60 ships, 200 aircraft and 40,000 Navy and Marine Corps personnel assigned to the 7th Fleet.

- KBK, GMA News

...the Photo Walk winner

Pinoy from Surigao wins Photo Walk grand prize

 

 

ROSE-AN JESSICA DIOQUINO

GMA News

10/26/2011

 

A 32-year-old educator from Surigao del Norte, Jaime Cesar Tibe, was named as the grand prize winner of the 2011 Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photo Walk.

Jaime Cesar Tibe's winning photo (From www.scottkelby.com)

Tibe's winning photo — showing a naked boy leaping into the water with his arms outstretched— stood out among nearly a thousand entries from various Photo Walk locations around the world.

The Worldwide Photo Walk was started by Kelby, an American photographer and post-processing trainer who heads the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP).

In the announcement he made on his blog Friday, Kelby lauded the shot's "sense of balance" and said it "makes me smile."

"As soon as I saw it, I smiled, and I'm still smiling," the award-winning photographer wrote. "Just looks like a beautiful summer's day, and a wonderful scene along the walk route... Great capture, moment, emotion, processing, and composition."

According to its website, a Photo Walk “is a social photography event where photographers get together in any public area to walk around, shoot photos, and generally have fun with other photographers."

Tibe, a first-time participant at the Worldwide level, will receive a number of technology-savvy prizes which include:

a collection of books authored by Kelby;

a 32-gigabyte iPad;

a one-year membership at the NAPP; and

a one-year subscription to Kelby Training.

Aside from the grand prize, Kelby also named 10 honorable mentions. A People’s Choice award will also be given to the photo with the most number of online votes.

‘Overwhelmed’

In an e-mail to GMA News Online, Tibe admitted that he "was overwhelmed" to have won the photography contest because he is only a hobbyist.

A dean at the Northeastern Mindanao Colleges in Surigao City, Tibe shared that he has only been into photography for more than a year who only bought his own camera two months ago.

Before getting his own gadget, he said he borrowed from his photographer friends, who influenced him to dip into the craft as well.

“Pahiram hiram lang ako noon. I started last year sa hobby na ito, and I know marami pa akong bigas na kakainin. [I’m] still in the process para maging professional photographer," he said.

"I can't believe na nanalo ako. Imagine out of 20,000 walkers, ako ang napiling grand prize winner," he wrote.

Tibe, a member of the Surigao Photo Club, said he was among the 40 photography enthusiasts who joined the Walk in Surigao City last October 2.

He shared that his entry was taken by the end of the two-kilometer walk at the Surigao City Blvd., when a group of young boys on the rooftop of a waiting shed called his attention.

“Pagkadaan ko, sabi ng isang bata, ‘Uncle, magtapon ka ng limang piso sa dagat, kukunin namin.’ Doon nag-start ang composition ko. Every time my girlfriend [would] throw [a] five-peso [coin] sa dagat, tumatalon sila [para kunin ‘yun]," he told GMA News Online.

Tibe decided to use his photo of the second coin diver, which he believed was his winning shot out of 195 captures that day.

Two Filipinos have previously made the Honorable Mentions list—Minella Rivera of Malolos, Bulacan in 2009 and Ronald Suello of Cebu City in 2008.

For this year, two other Filipinos made the list that Kelby made for entries that did not make the winning cut:

Victor Kintanar of Cebu City for “Best Shot That Gets Better Once You Spot The Subject"; and

RJ Palad of Manila for “Best Shot That Tells a Story".
- with Justin Joyas, VVP, GMA News

...the champions on a mission

Dragon boat champs join rescuers

By Dona Z. Pazzibugan, Niña Calleja
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Monday, October 3rd, 2011

The world champion dragon boat racing team, using the same vessel that earned them international renown, has joined military forces mobilized to rescue or bring relief to villagers trapped in heavily flooded parts of Bulacan and Pampanga.

The 20-member Philippine Dragon Boat Federation Team, dubbed the “Pinoy Dragon Warriors,” participated in the humanitarian missions on Sunday in response to a call from the Army chief, Lieutenant General Arturo Ortiz, for soldiers to join in the rescue effort.

They used the very same dragon boat they rode to five golds and two silvers and set two world records at the world championships held in Florida in August, according to the team manager, Army Major Harold Cabunoc.

Since the boat can accommodate only 20 people, team captain Sergeant Usman Anterola said that for every trip, the boat carried eight paddlers who ferried 10 villagers at a time.

There are 11 soldiers in the team, mostly from the Philippine Army, based at its headquarters in Fort Bonifacio. The rest are either members of the Coast Guard or civilians.

Cabunoc explained that the team practiced for six hours every day for more international competitions this year even without support from the Philippine Olympic Committee and the Philippine Sports Commission.

Payback time
Another team dispatched to the disaster zone in Bulacan at the weekend was made up of victims of Tropical Storm “Ondoy” in Marikina City two years ago, according to Marikina Vice Mayor Jose Fabian Cadiz.

“The city mayor, upon seeing the news about the floods on Friday morning, instructed our Rescue 161 to go to Bulacan and offer whatever help we can give,” Cadiz told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

The city sent two motorboats, an ambulance, search-in-water equipment, outboard motors, generation sets, and other first-aid kits recently purchased in preparation for an Ondoy-type disaster. More than 100 of the nearly 500 lives Ondoy claimed came from Marikina.

In dispatching the 15-member team, Mayor Del de Guzman admitted that the city has yet to recover from the losses of properties and lives, but said, “Now, it’s our turn to help.”

Caught unprepared
Ronald Mejia, officer in charge of Marikina’s Rescue 161 and team leader in the two-day Bulacan rescue operations, said the floods in the coastal towns were “very much similar to Ondoy.”

Although the roof-high floodwaters reminded him of Ondoy, Mejia was able to spot the difference.
He said the flood that entered their homes in Marikina City came with mud while the floodwaters in Bulacan were crystal clear as it directly came from the dams.

“In Marikina, the floods were gone after a few hours. In Bulacan, it was taking several days for the floods to subside,” he added.

Mejia said that when his team arrived in Paombong town in Bulacan, people came rushing to them and asked them to rescue relatives marooned in their flooded homes.

The team managed to save more than a hundred lives, including a pregnant woman standing on her house’s roof.

“It was the first time they experienced huge floods so they were really shocked and caught unprepared,” Mejia said.

...the US city manager

Fil-Am Al Bito is US city manager

Philippine Daily Inquirer

Monday, August 8th, 2011

 

Two weeks after the city manager of Campbell, California, announced his resignation, a Filipino-American was appointed to the post in interim capacity.

Al Bito has 21 years of city service, 14 of them as assistant city manager of Campbell.

“I’m honored the mayor and the city council are entrusting me to lead this organization during this transition phase and I will work very hard to maintain the quality of services and programs residents expect and deserve,” Bito said in a statement.

Bito is the son of Capt. Alfredo M. Bito of Alaminos City and Cecilia Abelardo of San Miguel, Bulacan. Captain Bito is a retired Panama Canal pilot, the only Filipino marine officer to attain the position.

...the UK youths

UK youths do volunteer work

By INA HERNANDO-MALIPOT

July 9, 2011

Manila Bulletin

MANILA, Philippines — Ten British youth volunteers are in Manila to work for three months along with 10 Filipino youth professionals on a project to curb human trafficking and promote health awareness.

For 12 weeks, the first batch of this year’s participants in the International Citizen Service (ICS) Youth Action—an initiative funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DID) that gives thousands of young adults from the UK and other parts of the world an opportunity to join in the fight against global poverty—will live, learn and work together with Filipino youth volunteers from the VSO Bahaginan on a range of community-based action projects will be a partner in this project.

British Embassy Manila Second Secretary Political Chris Wright welcomed the volunteers at the formal launch of the project recently. “I have noticed that both of our countries share in common is a real desire, a real respect for human rights, a real respect for making a difference and a real interest in getting involved in making a difference ourselves,” Wright said.

He added that this experience changes not only the volunteers’ lives but also the lives of the people they volunteers will be working with. “This can make a real difference to the people that would have otherwise been trafficked, that would otherwise have less healthy lives. You’ll make a difference to their lives but you will also be making a difference to your own lives as well,” Wright said.

The British volunteers and 10 Filipino youth professionals will be divided into two teams and will work together on a range of community-based action projects in co-operation with the local government of Hagonoy, Bulacan.

“Together they will work effectively to deliver real impact at the community level – be it through supporting service delivery, through advocacy or peer education activities or through youth-led community action research around themes of health, human rights, environmental protection, climate change and youth participation,” Wright said.

Sixty more British youth volunteers and their Filipino counterparts will also be working with local government units and non-governmental organizations in Bohol, Cebu, Davao and Samar in the coming months.

...the short film entry

Bulakeño filmmaker makes it to Sanfo contest By Dino Balabo The Philippine Star July 04, 2011

| Zoom

MANILA, Philippines - Four short films produced and directed by a young Bulakeño filmmaker made it to the finals of the 2011 Possible Futures Film Contest based in San Francisco, California.

Running at an average time of five minutes, Herwin Cabasal’s four films titled Stewards, Tactics, Starfish and Pledge can now be viewed and voted on at http://possiblefuturesfilmcontest.org/.

The other film that made it to the finals of the same contest was produced and directed by a certain  Ruel Lago.

In an interview, 24-year-old Cabasal said that all his film entries promote positive change in the world by envisioning the future.

He said that the contest is an ideal venue to share his vision for the future which he described as a “vision that I dream of and hope for.”

A Mass Communication graduate of the Centro Escolar University and currently working as a segment producer at the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation, Cabasal finds inspiration for his film in people who devote their time and talents for the benefits of others.

“Those passionate people teach me that one’s life must be a kind of service towards others,” he said.
A young optimist, Cabasal added, “as I make my films, I realize that everyone has the capacity to make a difference no matter who they are and no matter how little or big they can offer.”

He stressed, ”It is not about the quantity of what you can give but the sincerity of your passion to inspire others. In a world where all kinds of catastrophes happen including manmade, we cannot lose hope as long as we see and hear stories about men and women who become heroes by shaping a positive future.”

Cabasal also serves as one of the convenors of the Hagonoy Young Leaders Program (Hyleap), a non-profit organization that promotes servant leadership among Filipino youth.

He also doubles as head of Hyleap’s Mass Media Production Unit.

...the inmate weaver

Australia discovers hats made by ‘weaving inmates of Bulacan’

By: Carmela Reyes-Estrope
Inquirer Central Luzon

Saturday, May 28th, 2011

 

 

BALIUAG, Bulacan, Philippines—Australian exporters have discovered the Buntal hats produced by the “Weaving Inmates of Bulacan,” providing them the international attention which the town’s last Buntal hat maker, Rosario “Rosie” Quizon-Decasa, knew they’d be getting.

Decasa decided last year to entrust her skills to inmates of the Bulacan provincial jail in Malolos City, alarming friends and drawing mockery from her critics.

The 57-year-old Decasa had learned her craft from the original buntal weavers of the 1940s, Joaquin and Ester Villones, but the hat making industry had soured so she decided in 2010 to pass on her skills to 30 inmates.

“If Cebu has dancing inmates [referring to the YouTube sensations], I wanted to see the Buntal hat weaving inmates of Bulacan,” she says.

Last month, 50 hats produced by the inmates were shipped to an Australian buyer for “top dollar” profits. Decasa says the Australian buyer was surprised to learn that the hats were produced by prisoners. She says it was a reaction she received before from other prospective buyers.

“At first the buyers could not believe I would entrust my skills to the inmates or that the inmates could produce fine hats. Some asked if the inmates were notorious for grave crimes. But when [my Australian buyer] received the shipment, [he found faith in these workers] who spend time locked up behind bars,” she says.

Decasa sells to the inmates, led by George Dionaldo, 39, strings of uway (rattan fiber) for P50. The inmates weave uway into hats, which she then buys back from them for P300 a piece.

“See, here they are becoming entrepreneurs now. They earn P250 per hat which they made and sold,” she says.

Vic Ramos, 51, an inmate, says he joined Decasa’s project to while away the time, but the market interest in Buntal hats has convinced him to engage in hat weaving once he is set free.

Dionaldo says he plans to pass on his new skills to his family.

But Decasa says she is aware that the 30 “weaving inmates” are not enough to supply the orders from overseas buyers, so she plans to also train Bulacan residents who are serving jail terms at the New Bilibid Prison.

There are about 2,000 detainees at the Bulacan provincial jail, but only Dionaldo’s group has volunteered for the project.

“Creating the ’Weaving Inmates of Bulacan’ was not just an opportunity for inmates to earn money, it was also meant to promote Buntal hat weaving,” Decasa says.

...the educators

17 teachers hailed for educating Dumagat folk


By Dino Balabo
(The Philippine Star)
May 22, 2011

A Dumagat reads a newspaper in a huddle with fellow Dumagats at their settlement in Donya Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan. DINO BALABO| Zoom

MALOLOS CITY, Philippines – The Department of Education (DepEd) has recognized the contributions of 17 educators who have been teaching members of the Dumagat tribe in the hinterlands of the Sierra Madre mountains.

“They are like religious missionaries who go to the mountains to care for indigenous peoples,” said Dr. Edna Zerrudo, division superintendent of DepEd-Bulacan.

A team of 17 teachers has been educating Dumagat tribesmen since the DepEd-Bulacan division opened an educational program for them in 1998.

Celestino Carpio, supervisor of non-formal education of DepEd-Bulacan, said the team has sacrificed physical comfort to fulfill their duties to the tribal folk.

They hold classes with 50 to 80 persons each in makeshift classrooms in various settlements in the Sierra Madre.

The team also has to stay in the settlements for a week or two before replenishing their supplies and obtaining new instructional materials.

“Teachers are called heroes, but our missionary teachers are the unsung heroes,” Carpio said. “They are not there just for the job, they keep on teaching the indigenous peoples because they love them and they are concerned.”

At present, the educators receive the same compensation as regular teachers, but Carpio said they are thinking of giving them extra allowance. Vergel Libunao, who was part of the first batch of 10 teachers hired in September 1998, admitted that he was at first thinking of staying on the job for only three years.

Thanks to these 17 teachers, Dumagats in the hinterlands of Sierra Madre learn how to read and write. DINO BALABO

“I admit that at first, I only wanted to get a job and planned that after three years, I would request to be transferred. It’s different now, though,” he said.

Libunao, 41, teaches in a settlement in Sitio Talamsi 2 in Barangay Kalawakan, Donya Remedios Trinidad town. It takes more than two hours to reach the settlement via motorcycle, and then three more hours on foot.

Libunao said they have become greatly concerned about the tribe.

“If we back out, there will be no one to replace us. We are needed in the mountains to pursue our mission to teach the children. Now, it’s not only the need for employment that pushes us, but our concern for the children,” he said.

Joel de la Paz, 38, and Nestor Alfonso, 36, who were also part of the first batch of teachers, said that after three years of teaching members of the tribe, they could have opted to be reassigned to other schools but decided to stay on.

De la Paz said the biggest danger he encountered was when
government troops engaged New People’s Army rebels who encamped at the Sitio Talamsi 1 settlement in January last year.

“I thought it would all end for me so I just prostrated myself inside,” he said, pointing to an old chapel converted into a classroom.

Ryan Villegas, who hails from San Luis town in Pampanga, said he had to endure the long travel to reach Sitio Basyo in Barangay Kabayunan.

He would sometimes hitch a ride with the service boat of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, which maintains the 13-kilometer Umiray Angat Transbasin project tunnel with an outlet in Sitio Macua.

Arlyn Lazaro, also among the first batch of educators, is working on the development of a culturally sensitive curriculum for Dumagat students.