National Handicraft Expo

2nd Asean Handicraft Promotion and Development Association International Arts and Crafts Expo and International Conference on Business Opportunities for Natural Fibers

will be conducted on Oct 26-28, 2009 at the Philippine Trade Training Center in Pasay City. This has been organized by a Philippine Committed from the Dept of Agriculture and AHPADA with the DTI, DFA, PTA, NCCA and Dept of Finance, DOTC and Duty Free Philippines

The expo aims to promote and bring about greater awareness of the importance of arts and crafts in a country's cultural roos and economic development. Provide traditional and online marketing opportunities for artists , craftpeople and producers. Nurture a spirit of cooperation and sharing between among participants.

For more info: c393-75580/832-0996 or email ahpadaexpo@yahoo.com or visit the site www.ahpadaexpo.com. Online marketing opportunities of your product please contact the webmaster of this blog by leaving comment and your email or cell number. This is published through the effort of online virtual assistant services in the Philippines.


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UTAH Scientist Creates Lesbian Worm

Through altering a brain's gene in a female worm, UTAH based scientists were able to change its sexual orientation so that it will be attracted to other females. Scientists activated the gene that makes male structures develop in the body.

The result was a female worm that act and think like boys. The study supports the idea that sexual orientation is the result of the brain’s wiring. They suggests that "sexual behavior is encoded in our genes.”

For more details..

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PHILHEALTH in Danger of Closing?

PHILHEALTH, the Government owned company is in danger of going bankruptcy for the next 7 years unless the government pays the P19.2 billion contribution of all government agency. While the government automatically deduct contribution for Phil Health from the salary of the public employees, it is not remitting in part or whole causing trouble in the funds of the agency.

Sen. Loren Legarda made this assessment Wednesday after a hearing on the measure calling for mandatory universal health care coverage.She said Philhealth officials themselves informed her that the country’s public health care company is in danger of insolvency because the DBM is not paying its debt for the past 8 years while some politicians are using the agency is giving free medical benefits specially during campaign period.

8/20/09

Study -5 out of 10 children experienced violence inside schools.

"Buboy", from this city, was almost blinded when the heel of his teacher’s stilletto was thrown at him and hit him between the eyes. With blood flowing down into his face, he went home to tell his mother what happened.

The mother went to the school to confront the teacher, but the latter said it was part of discipline. The mother, five months pregnant, got so angry that she had a miscarriage.

Last September, Martin, a grade five student from Northern Samar, was asked by his teacher to climb a coconut tree during school hours. Martin did as instructed, but while on top, he slipped and fell into the ground. The boy died.

Eula of Western Samar is a chubby, intelligent grade five student. But because she is fat, no one from her class wants to take her in during class groupings. Worse, during break time, she is called by various names not just by classmates but by other students in the campus. Others would pinch her hard for no apparent reason. She is ostracized.

From a grade of 95 percent during the first grading, her grade plunged to 75 percent. Because of this, she decided not to go to school anymore, prompting her mother to ask why. After much persuasion, she told her mother everything and showed her pinch marks. Immediately, the mother went to the school to complain but the bullies were not punished.

The three children’s cases illustrate the reality inside some Philippine schools. In a study conducted by Plan Philippines, a child-centered non-government organization, it was discovered that at least five out of 10 children in grades one to three, seven out of 10 in grades four to six and six out of 10 in high school have experienced violence inside schools.

It was also learned that children’s peers, more than the adults, are the perpetrators.

The study has been made part of Plan’s efforts to raise awareness on the issue of violence against children in line with the organization’s global campaign dubbed “Learn without Fear”, a three-year campaign that aims to prevent and end all forms of violence against children in schools: corporal punishment, bullying, sexual harassment, emotional abuse, peer-to-peer violence, and harassment on their way to and from school.

“Past incidents have taught us that school-related violence against children and youth has always been detrimental to the realization of the children’s full potential. Plan believes that Filipino children will learn better and will be more productive under a school environment free from threats to their young lives,” Michael Diamond, country director of Plan, said in a statement here.

A total of 2,442 children from 58 public schools in Masbate, Northern Samar and the Camotes Islands in Cebu participated in the study. Additionally, adult stakeholders such as parents, other community representatives, school personnel and customer services officer, including guidance counselors were also involved.

“Children generally prefer a more positive form of discipline like being talked to and corrected or counseled. Experiences of violence usually result in low self-esteem, fear, anger and helplessness among children,” said Leonila Melendrez, program unit manager of Plan.

“It is sad, however, that physical and verbal forms of violence are accepted by the children as part of discipline and are sometimes seen as appropriate,” she said. The "Learn without Fear" campaign hopes to advocate stronger involvement of the Department of Education (DepEd) in developing and standardizing child protection policies and mechanisms for schools, support the passage of laws or ordinances that would further help protect children and implement a national program for awareness raising and community education, Melendrez said.

“Violence affects millions of children across the world. It can cause irreparable damage to the child’s personality which therefore prevents the child to realize his or her full potential,” she said.

"Learn without Fear" is Plan International’s global campaign and is implemented in 66 countries including the Philippines in which the organization works. The campaign is targeted to benefit millions of school-aged children all over the world, Melendrez said.

Plan Philippines traces back to 1961 when it was invited by the former President of the United Nations General Assembly Carlos P. Romulo, to work in the country.

For over 47 years now, its work and investment have been broadly based around key issues affecting children: education, health, livelihood, governance, water and environmental sanitation, child protection and disaster risk reduction and management, Melendrez said.

Plan is present in seven of the country’s poorest provinces: Masbate, Occidental Mindoro, Eastern Samar, Western Samar, Northern Samar, South Leyte and Cebu’s Camotes Islands, and is assisting close to 500 communities nationwide, Melendrez added. (PNA)
LAP/LQ/DOC/

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Teachers Salary Increase

PUBLIC school teachers will enjoy a P9,000 salary increase to be given within three years if certain bills pending in Congress are approved.

House Bill 4734 and Senate Bill 2408 seek to give additional pay for teachers that would make their salaries “at par with those received by soldiers and policemen.”

The bills propose that all public school teachers, locally-funded teachers, Philippine Science High School system teaching and non-teaching personnel and non-teaching personnel of the Department of Education (DepEd) with a salary grade level lower than 30 be entitled to the increase.

In latest development, the government announced last May that the salary increase for Government employees will increase by 1500 starting school year 2009-2010. However there are log of complain from teachers that the increase is still not release due to budget problem from DBM.

see the full story in Cebu Website

3rd National ICT in Basic Education Congress

ICT in education congress prepares public schools in technology-based learning
Educators and information communication technology policy makers will converge this September in Cebu City for the 3rd National ICT in Basic Education Congress. Their mission: to help prepare students and teachers in public schools all over the country for the challenges of technology-based learning.

Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said the multi-sectoral meeting will also be
attended by officials from different colleges and universities and members of
non-government organizations from September 10 to 12, 2008 at the Waterfront
Hotel. They will discuss issues that seek to integrate ICT in basic education, and
how this strategy will benefit public schools.
Ethelyn Taqued of Cordillera Regional Science High School has been teaching
for four years. After various stints in private schools, she was inspired to teach
science and technology in a far-flung public school in Cordillera. She believes
this 3rd ICT Congress – her first ICT in Education Congress – will “broaden my
ideas on ICT integration and is a welcome addition to my understanding of ICT
education.”

“I know I will learn from this congress, and share a part of what I know with other
participants,” said the 46 year old high school teacher. But above all, Taqued
wants to attend this congress as her way of giving back: “DepEd has invested
so much in ICT training for teachers. I want my students to survive in this highly
competitive world. What I will learn from this congress will enable me to
accomplish that,” she added.

DepEd Chief Jesli Lapus is a strong advocate of technology-enhanced
education. Under his watch, the department has pushed ICT as a tool to extend
the reach and quality of basic education.

Lapus is expected to unveil DepEd's 5-Year ICT4E Strategic Plan during the first
plenary session of the Congress. This will be followed by the presentation by
Assistant Secretary Jesus Mateo of the Department's ICT competency
standards for teachers. Also speaking at plenary are Dr. Philip Wong Siew Koon
of the National Institute of Education in Singapore, Dr. Jan Herrington of the
University of Woollongong in Australia and Prof. Patricia B. Arinto of UPOU.
Teachers like Taqued will surely bring home with them learning from the two
day-exchange of best practices, where forty-eight presentations and
demonstrations will be given at concurrent sessions along three main tracks: 1)
ICT integration into and across the elementary and secondary school curricula;
2) Teacher professional development and instructional support; and 3) Distance
education.


The Department of Education (DepEd), University of the Philippines-Open
University (UPOU), and the Foundation for Information Technology Education
and Development (FIT-ED) have been collaborating for a sustainable and
responsible integration of ICT in local education.

Guided by the theme “Teaching the Net Generation: Curriculum, Pedagogy, and
Challenge of 21st Century Learning,” this event is jointly organized by DepEd
and the University of the Philippines Open University, which is the country’s elearning
competency center.

DepED ask for 2Billion more - ICT Program

IN hopes of achieving the “school of the future,” the Department of Education (DepEd) is lobbying for an additional P2 billion for their 2009 budget.

If granted, the funds will pay for their Information and Communications Technology for Education program (ICT4E).

“The P2 billion would not only include the ICT trainings for the teachers but also for the provision of computer laboratories in the secondary level schools,” said Education Secretary Jesli Lapus.

Through the ICT4E program, DepEd hopes to “globally link” students from the Philippines to other countries to create an international learning environment for all students.

Lapus hopes to increase the use of ICT in all public schools to link students to global resources, help them develop habits of self-learning and allow students to critically seek and analyze information.

“And this is the school of the future: it will allow students to connect with a student from somewhere else in the world and they can do research together,” Lapus told reporters.

While the ICT4E program is expected to start this year, once an allocation has been identified, the education department is in its final stages of the five-year ICT4E strategic plan.

“That amount (P2 billion) may not be realized in full,” Lapus admitted. “It is a new item, so there will have to be a lot of ‘selling’ involved.”

“And if we do not get it (the entire P2 billion), then we will have to realign,” added Lapus.

He also noted the efforts of local government units (LGUs) that have been taking an active part in DepEd’s ICT programs.

“There are some LGUs that are enlightened... some LGUs are putting up computer laboratories,” said Lapus.

As part of the ICT4E strategic plan, DepEd hopes to have all high schools in the county equipped with computer laboratories.

Nationwide, the education department has recorded a total of 44,300 schools, with 37,800 elementary schools and 6,500 high schools. A total of 3,919 high schools have already received computer labs and 700 schools are to follow. By 2009, an additional 2,000 high schools would have computer labs.

Source
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2008/09/11/news/deped.chief.requests.p2b.more.for.labs.teachers.ict.training.html

Consumer education to be part of high school curriculum next year

Davao City -- Consumer education will be part of the curriculum of public and private high schools nationwide by School Year 2009-2010.

This after a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on the integration of consumer education into public and private secondary teaching between the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Education (DepEd) was signed in October last year.

Seventeen consumer-related laws and the One Town, One Product (OTOP) program are identified to be included in the students' learning competencies in eight major subjects, namely, English, Mathematics, Science, Filipino, Araling Panlipunan, Technology, Livelihood Education, MAPEH (Music, Arts, Physical Education, and Health), and Values Education.

The first phase of the project called Teachers' Exemplar Writeshop, was conducted last year in Baguio City. The writeshop was set for Master Teachers to create exemplars -compilation of detailed instructions, references, competencies, lesson plans - demonstrating how consumer welfare topics will be integrated and taught across the eight subjects.

The initial validation of the said exemplars formed part of the second phase.

In the third phase of the project, a thorough validation by a set of expert teacher-writers was done. These teacher-writers scholarly polished the said exemplars.

The teachers' exemplars are currently being refined further and being prepared for its packaging prior to the orientation/training opted for School Principals and Head Teachers this month. This will comprise the fourth phase of the project.

DTI 11 Assistant Regional Director Marizon S. Loreto said the integration of consumer education into the secondary curriculum will help DTI a lot in intensifying its campaign towards empowering consumers further.