From birthday to worship

Tomorrow is my mother’s birthday and this morning’s message at church started with a reminder to honor our parents.

But the main point in today's message was all about being fertile, not physically, of course, but spiritually. Isaiah 32:15 says till the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field becomes forest. 

The forest. That is part of the bigger picture. It talks about abundance. It talks about growth. It talks about multiplication. And the secret to all these is being filled with the Holy Spirit. We may have failed, recently, to come together as a group but I myself, as a leader, should be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Audition. This afternoon was all about audition for the interest groups we have created (or revived), namely Dance and Drama. I am thankful I have Dimple and Rey with me on this. I was encouraged by their enthusiasm, particularly Rey’s enthusiasm. He has thought of coming up with a promotional video for the interest groups. He was eager to do it and I was not because considering my hectic schedule. But I think this is what it is all about, fueling them up and going an extra mile.

***

Trust. I think that young people should be trusted. Being young may mean failing but being trusted upon lifts them up. It builds their confidence. Who doesn't fail anyway? All of us fail, even adults. I feel like I have to tell them (adults) that they have to learn to trust young people. They have to learn to trust us that we will not fail them of their expectations of us.

***

It was nice to see Grace and her friend, Chimay, audition. The cell group members of Floresa, particularly, the dancers, also showed up. I just hope they will find their niche. Some wanted to try the Music group also. But, personally, I don't want to limit them. No one's a finished product, not even me. I'd like them to explore. And we are here to guide them. And as I guide them, I learn also.  

Shoes. One of the guys, I have noticed wore a very cool pair of shoes. It was counterfeit, I know, but it looks rad. I wanted to buy one.

But tonight’s word hit me. Luke 12:23.  It reminded me that life is more than food and clothes. I am a person who is addicted, I admit, to Tshirts. I am vain...sometimes. Ok. Not sometimes. In fact, this afternoon, when Mama and I went to the mall, I was so tempted to buy something (read: Tshirt) for myself. (Crazy. There was this shirt in the mall that is worth more than Php2,000. It looks really cool. And the cloth feels like it's rubberized. I wonder who'll buy it? Not me, that is for sure. I'd never spend as big as that just for a shirt. I got a Vans shirt only for a hundred bucks. It looks cool. It looks cool on me. Hehe.) But what kept me not to do it is the fact that it is her birthday (and not mine). And then, this verse came.

I have read the bible verse through the material given to me by Ps John. Finally, I got the material that I can use (together with other materials) for the cell groups and Values classes in high schools. It was given to me during the meeting we had with Ps John's team. I am excited about the plans we have with Ps John’s team. We're brewing up a 'youth revolution.'

***

Before Luke 12:13, God also spoke to me about worship in Luke 12:21. It is not about us. We should not be storing things for ourselves. We should be giving. Christianity is about giving. God himself gave His one and only Son. The verse talked about being rich toward God. The phrase toward God reminded me of worship. In Darlene’s book titled, Extravagant Worship, worship is defined as an active expression toward God. It is not for someone but it is for God.  Worship is about giving ourselves toward God. It should not be for us, for our pleasure. True worship is directed toward God. True worship is to please God.        

Unlock Greatness

THESE are the lines/statements that struck me during the week-long Unlock Greatness campaign together with our family from Celebration California:

September 25
"What do you do when you don't know what to do?" - Ps Randy Hand, Acquaintance Night

September 26
Love overkills. - We Are Young Campus Concert at Tagoloan Community College

September 27
"I look forward." - Ps Randy Hand, Leaders' Conference

September 28
"We are young, so let's set the world on fire, cause we can burn brighter than the sun." - Love Overkill Band, We Are Young Concert

September 29
"Don't be a fan of Jesus, be His follower. Only followers receive His power to change the world." - Ps Andrew Nava, Youth Conference

"Jesus is still a big deal these days." - Ps Jason Green, Youth Conference

October 1
Yesterday was for learning and tomorrow is a consequence of today. Maximize this day. - Jars of Clay

How big is victory

GOD, it seems, mocked me. Yes He did but in a good way.   

And He did it to me after feeling so burn out with all these work in church and in university and study for a licensure exam.

You see, for church, I have this primary mission to schedule seven mini concerts in seven local high schools and to fill in 5,000 seats for a concert. These are all happening next week. For university, in preparation for the department’s application as Center of Development, my boss has assigned me to a number of tasks, the last of which is to take a screen shot of the alumni page, and I have not done it yet as I am writing this part of the piece.    

I have tried to evade from a number of these must-dos like playing dodge ball at youth summer camp. Oops, sorry. That’s the truth. As much as I wanted to escape, I just can’t. I need to do them. I can’t most especially the preparation part for the licensure exam. And guess what, the exam is happening after the weeklong confabs and mini concerts. Great. (Straight face).

I have to pass the exam. Though the license does not really spell ‘future’ for me, but I have to because it will help me, in a way, realize my vision of being like Paul, a tent-making missionary. I want to go to Indonesia next year and teach English in an international school. And I can’t fail the exam because I do not want to disappoint my mother.

And what is it with her recently? She has become banal. As far as I can remember, for the past two weeks already and this week, in particular, her text messages are all but a reminder to pay my PhilHealth dues. She has incessantly done it and it’s getting into my nerves oftentimes.

But she has a point, I just realized it now. With all load on me, I am dead. I am because busy is an understatement.  

And so here I am, a dead man seated in a cushioned couch inside our pastor’s house. The soft cushion is a treat to my butt as the green-painted wall is to my stressed eyes. I have just arrived from a community college to personally hand the letter of request to the school president asking him to allow us to throw a campus mini concert despite the fact it is a short notice. I am hoping against hope that he will.

Rabbi was ironing his clothes behind where I was seated and the old lady next to me was reading a showbiz magazine with Piolo Pascual on the cover page. I could have been the one reading it but I was glad that I got something else in hand.

I continued to read the magazine that I borrowed from my pastor’s wife. I got it from her the day before and started to like it after noticing the layout, the color and the content of the first few pages.

I started to like it after one of its articles titled Music with a Purpose spoke to me. As a fledgling musician and as a youngster, it hit me. I like the direct quotations of the interviewee so much that even if I was inside a mobile jeepney on my way to a local daily to meet my students, I was still reading it. Intently. I was savouring his every word and it was prompting me to encode it in my cellphone verbatim and send it as a group message to my Timothy’s and co youth leaders.  

And today, God spoke to me through an article in the magazine. He has challenged me to put my heart in what I do and to give it my all. And this He did despite the fact that I have already drowned myself, it seems, in these overwhelming tasks.

Elisha, from what I have read, had told the king of Israel to strike continuously the Assyrian army. But the king did not. He struck the enemy only thrice. Then he stopped.

I remembered, as I was reading the story, how I am wobbly these days when I am on my feet. I have noticed of this dizziness. And who does not become dizzy when you’ve got seven schools to visit, 5,000 seats to fill in, heaps of pages to write on and to read? Sleep has become a luxury for me. I have burned my midnight candle one night after the other. And here comes God telling me to give it my all.  It was as if what I have done do not suffice.

Isn’t these enough? I asked. Don’t get me wrong. I am not fishing for compliment.

Clearly, the answer to my question is a big YES for the simple reason that He knows that there is more that I can do than what I have already done.

In the story, there was an opportunity for the king to defeat the enemy but his attitude determined the outcome. He could have struck Syria but the middle-of-the-road king did not. So he has not destroyed it.

   

Nobody wants defeat. Nobody wants to lose. Winning needs more than the best effort that one can give. It asks you to give your all.

I liked what I have read today. It challenged me not to be mediocre; to strive for excellence, not for men but for Him. God mocked me for my good and because He did, now I have an idea of how big the victory is ahead of me.

‘Bangon CDO’ calls for action

Young Christian composer-musician shares why this song inspired by flashflood Sendong is far greater than the world and the songs in it

                                                      

WHEN Haiti was shaken by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake two years ago, the song ‘We Are The World,’ which was originally written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, was remade.

When Japan was hit by a tsunami March last year, an album called ‘Songs for Japan’ was produced featuring the songs ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon, ‘Prayer’ by Justin Bieber and other songs by many more famous artists.  

And when Sendong, ravaged Cagayan de Oro December last year, you may have not known it but there was a song that with its good blend of different genres – mellow at the start, jazz and metal rock in the middle, and rap towards the end – is a sure treat to music lovers. It’s titled ‘Bangon CDO.’  

JR Cuyam, a composer-musician in his own right, recalls that he has a melody that has long been kept in his mind. And when Sendong broke the silence of that fateful night on December 16, his was broken as well. He got his pen and sought for the right words to jibe with the melody.

What made it as easy as do, re, mi, for him in writing the song was the fact that he volunteered day-in and day-out for the relief operations of Kagay-an Evangelical Disaster Response Network (KEDRN), going as far as the affected areas in Iligan City.

He has seen faces of pain. It was a tragic incident unmatched in magnitude that he wrote ‘Katalagman nga dili masabot’ (A disaster that is beyond comprehension).

“Nakita pud nako didto nga kato nga (I saw during that) time, there were different people in the field that I did not expect to help. But they were there in the evacuation centers – with all their hearts and efforts,” JR recounts.

The bridge, which has a strong rhythmic accompaniment, of the 4:33-minute song captures what he has witnessed: ‘Karun ang panahon nga kita magkahiusa Magtinabangay sa usag-usa (This is the time when we unite and help each other).’

Bangon is a Cebuano word for rise or get up. And JR, 25, explains that “Lakip sa pagbangon is ang pagmata. Kung mubangon ka, expected nga naa kay himuon (You should be awake the moment you rise up. It is expected that you do something after you have risen).”

He encouraged people, during the interview, to do something for change. This is the battle cry of the song. And this call makes the song different from the not-more-than-50 songs, majority of which were unrecorded, that he has written since he was 17. More than the musical dynamics of the song, the message it conveys makes it a stand out.

The problem, he pointed out, is that we think, at the onset, that the change we ought to make has to be grand.  We have to do something for change even if it is as simple as picking up small pieces of rubbish, he cited. Cliché as it may sound but true.

“A song is an urge. So the song ‘Bangon CDO’ is an urge. This is the least of my contribution,” explains the lead guitarist at Celebration Central Campus.

The song has long been sung during evangelistic concerts of Celebration International Church in the Tent City and in Brgy Macasandig. It was sung during Dayaw Mindanaw, an eight-hour praise worship last April 7 in Pilgrim Christian College, where the composer is a graduate of Mass Communication. The latest concert the said church had was with the missions outreach team from Jesus Revolution Manila.

It would perhaps be unrealistic to compare ‘Bangon CDO’ vis-à-vis ‘We Are The World’ and the album ‘Songs for Japan.’ To do so would be like comparing a lightning to a lightning bug as Mark Twain would put it.

It was not a product of a collaboration of big names in the music industry. Neither Lady Gaga nor Madonna was in it. It was recorded not in a professional music studio but in an average-size church with the help of his band mates and was sung by his spiritual mentor. It has not raised big funds for the flashflood victims and perhaps never will be.

But what makes Bangon CDO different and powerful from the rest? JR shares: “I know nga maka change siya; maka-rewire siya sa mind. It can cause an action. (Because) this song was a dictate of the Holy Spirit. And I needed to write about it.”

Check out Bangon CDO in YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV6jtNOqtSk 

Christian groups march for Jesus

MORE than 500 Christian believers in Cagayan de Oro made a statement yesterday as they marched for Jesus.  

Members of Cagayan de Oro Evangelical Ministerial Association (COEMA), Metro Cagayan Ministerial Fellowship (MCMF), Pentecostal Church of God Asian Missions Inc (PCGAMI), among others endured the afternoon sun and hiked down from two starting points.

It was symbolic when the two groups, one from McArthur Park and the other from Rotunda, converged in Kiosko Kagawasan Divisoria and together filled the heart of the city with praise and worship songs and prayer.

Bishop Bong Udang, COEMA president, pointed out that in the same way that Sendong knew no ministerial association when it wrecked havoc last year, everybody also, regardless of religious affiliation, should come together to pray.

Pastors and church leaders led the assembly in intercession for the ‘restoration of fortune’ lost during the flashflood, for the internally displaced persons (IDPs), and for repentance. Each of the eight pillars of the society was also prayed about: Arts and Media, Business, Church, Peace and Order and Defense, Academe and Education, Family, Government Leaders, and Science and Technology.      

  

The participants were repeatedly encouraged, in the light of the flashflood, to become good stewards – to take the lead in taking care of God’s creation and in advocating for it.

National President of Peace Builders Inc, Ps Dan Pantuha, suggested something “symbolic and practical” during the program:  to pick up litter in the area.

“Kung lilinisin natin and korapsyon, lilinisin muna natin ang lansangan; simulan natin sa mga bote, (If we ought to call for a clean governance, we clean first the streets from trash like empty bottles),” exclaimed Pantuha, an environment advocate.

Vice Mayor Ceasar Acenas, on behalf of Mayor Emano, was present in the event. Along with leaders of different Christian denominations in the city, he participated in the historic and prophetic gesture of watering a plant to symbolize growth of unity among the body of Christ.

Bishop Bing Gadian, Jesus For All president, hoped that the program which ran for about five hours will be a movement.  It was announced that there will be a tree-planting activity anytime soon.

Lagaan A Movie Analysis

(This was written by Roxette Flores, 2nd Year DevCom Student, submitted as a Final Requirement for DC 6 Media and Society)

ALLOW me to walk you through a movie that has greatly changed the way I see the world. I hope you get the chance to see it yourself.

You’ll be amazed.

The Men behind the lens

Lagaan (Agricultural Tax), an Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film in 2002 is a Bollywood sports film created by actor-turned director Ashutosh Gowariker. He is known to be one of India’s elite directors. He started helming the camera in the year 1993 with his debut film Pehla Nasha (First Love). On one of his personal quotes, he openly shared, “Cinema has to come from the heart. It has to move to you, matter to you; to an extent that it haunts and hunts you…” His love for country and film were best encapsulated when he continued saying “… I am not going anywhere because my heart is set in my country [India].” This strong conviction of making movies that can strike through the heart of its audience compelled him to make films that have deep roots of India’s societal conditions. He wants to make films that would highlight the indignity of human existence. Thus, Lagaan was written and created.

The movie was produced by Aamir Khan Productions and starred by Aamir Khan himself, one of India’s greatest Bollywood actors and film producers. In Lagaan’s official website, Aamir Khan expressed his thoughts about the film when he said,

“Lagaan began as a dream, a nebulous dream dreamt for the first time as far back as 1996 by a man called Ashutosh Gowariker. Over the last three years I, and the entire cast and crew of Lagaan, have tried to help and support the man leading us to realize his dream. The journey has led us all to become a part of his dream. And very soon my friend, you too will be a part of it. May the force be with you!”

The producer was clear in his intention to help the director of the film in making Lagaan a reality. Aamir Khan is one with the director’s desire to make films that would move and stir its audiences. He produces movies that depict significant societal values and realities. The alignment of their visions and dreams burned in them the desire to partner for a breakthrough film that is Lagaan.

A Brief History

The film was conceived in the year 1996. It took three years for it to finally be given birth. The event that has greatly impacted the film was the cricket match between the traditional rival teams India and Pakistan in the 1996 World Cup Finals. During that game, India emerged victorious. The filmmaker was inspired to make a film with a touch of sports action in it. The thrill of having to prepare for a big match and the excitement and anxiety of whether or not they be victorious was well depicted in the movie, adding up to the content and creativity of the film in general. Its distribution has reached places all over the globe. The film was first released in India, and then to Asia, the Americas, and the different parts of the world.

The film was set during the Victorian era of British government ruling over the towns of India. The townspeople were mandated by government to pay taxes in the form of agricultural produce. With no rain and low produce, the villagers could not pay their taxes. They pleaded the British government to lift their taxes. They could get their plea in one condition: play a game alien to them. If they win, they are free not to pay three years worth of lagaan. If they lose, they are to pay triple lagaan all their lives. When the huge challenge was accepted, there was no turning back. They had to do everything they can to win the game and free themselves and their village of the bondage of paying lagaan.

Its Purpose

The purpose of the film is to be able to present societal realities and human indignities in an artistic and creative way. The movie seeks to open the eyes of its audience and reveal the existence of injustice in society. It allows its audience to ask simple questions like “What are taxes for?” or “Why is the British government asking for taxes?” Or ask deeper questions such as “Why do need to pay taxes when they do not seem to enjoy the benefits of such obligation?” Upon asking these central questions, they are drawn in to ask more thought-provoking questions that boggle their minds, stir their hearts, and disturb their souls. The target audiences of the film are the Hindu people, specifically those of the members of the middle and higher classes of the Caste system. There is a need for these people to see for themselves what is going on in their society.

Impact and Differing Views

The message of this film would greatly benefit the peasants, untouchables, and all the members of the lower class of the Caste system. These people have dignity to be upheld and rights to be protected and enjoyed. They cannot just be simply disregarded and abused. On the other side of the coin, the people who might be harmed or disadvantaged in this film are people in authority, government, and members of the higher class in society. Audience’s reactions to the film greatly vary. Stereotyping is inevitable. Audiences might think that all people in power or has position in government are abusive, inhuman, and evil. If the audience would allow their emotions to get the better of them, there is a great tendency that their perception about the rich and the powerful will become negative temporarily. Or permanently.

There can be varying reactions and interpretations to the film. If you are a reformist, a person who embraces truth and justice, you would feel for the farmers and villagers, take their side, and do something about what you have discovered. If you are a person in power and authority or in government, you would feel like the movie has somehow exaggerated its depiction of societal injustice and would normally disagree with what it projects. If you are not Hindu, you would think that the movie or the message it holds does not concern you. If you are otherwise, you would either rejoice or remorse. It depends on what status or class you belong to. If you are a passive viewer, you would think of the film as just another movie added to your collection. With all these possible interpretations and reactions, one thing is certain—whether you see it clearly or not, the movie has an effect on you. Because of that, it has become successful in its desire to move and stir the hearts of its audience.

Style and Techniques

There are many techniques that the filmmaker used in order to better communicate ideas. First, the use of songs and dances were evident all throughout the film. The music and lyrics were effective tools in seething through the emotions of its audiences. Second, the sports aspect added a lot of flavor to the film. It makes one want to identify and root for a team and take a side. Third and last, the use of a normal and ordinary farmer as main actor for the film aligns perfectly to the message that the filmmaker wants to communicate to the audience. In a more technical aspect, the movie is not as outstanding. For audiences who could not understand their language, the subtitle provided would cause them to divert their attention. Instead of concentrating on the film itself, taking note of its verbal and non-verbal messages, their attention would be directed mostly to reading the English translation. Thus, they miss out on some important action and events.

Film Credibility

It was clearly stated at the start of the film that everything is a product of the filmmaker’s imagination and creativity. Any similarities to names, events, dates, and places in real life are highly coincidental. However, the researcher strongly believes that facts such as societal problems (Caste system, payment of taxes, colonialism, poverty, and corruption) exist in India and most of the third world countries. It may not be the exact people in the film who are greatly affected by these truths and problems in society but it cannot be denied that it depicts solid facts, enough to open the eyes of its audience.

Personal Notes

Just like most of the Bollywood films I have seen, I am always amazed at how much impact it leaves on me. Seeing Lagaan made me see things in a deeper and wider perspective. All elements in the film, I felt, are for me. I really did not know what movie to see and analyze. I have always believed in divine interventions. This one’s one of them.

As a sports writer and enthusiast, I saw how passion and purpose bring you success. The villagers did not know anything about the game. They did not even know if they would win against those trained English men. But they took the challenge for a noble purpose of freeing themselves from the bondage of paying taxes. Because of that, I see sportsmen in a different light. I salute them for playing their hearts out and giving their all in every game they play.

As an Agriculture and a Development Communication student, I realized how vital the role of Agriculture is to a community. It is its lifeblood. Without food, people will starve to death. Without farmers who painstakingly toil the land, there will be nothing served in our tables, nothing that will sustain our basic needs. Because of that, I’ll never look at farmers the same way again. They are the quiet force that helps us sustain ourselves. We owe them a lot. They deserve more than three years of free tax.

As a person and as a leader, I am inspired to be like Bhuvan, a lowly farmer who lifted his co-villagers and all the poor farmers, untouchables, and slaves. With his determination and desire to speak the truth and give justice to all the poor and weak, he boldly led the whole village to fight a bloodless battle and be victorious in the end. Because of that, I am compelled to fight for what is just, humane, and fair. I am fired up with the desire to do extraordinary things, things that would matter.

Amazing how a three-hour foreign movie has greatly changed the way I see the world, and the realities it holds. It has shed so much light to me. I hope you get the chance to see it yourself.

You’ll be amazed.

Building Homes, Rebuilding Lives

(This was written by Gaps Sabuero, 2nd Year DevCom Student, submitted as a Final Requirement for DC 6 Media and Society)

It was another day for the relocatees as they went through their day-to-day lives in their temporary bunk houses. Relief has now prevailed their eyes as they are now settled in the Xavier Ecoville at Baranggay. Lumbia, Cagayan de Oro.

It was not so long ago when they were living in, now, their displaced homes. Fathers worked to earn a living; mothers tended their family's needs; children went to school. They were living a life they were accustomed to. Little did they know that overnight, they would witness the flood taking everything away from them.

Upon the height of the tragedy, most of the families watched over their properties drowning in the muddy waters – on their roofs counting every piece of furniture, appliances, books and every investment they made with their livelihood drifting away. Some were lucky to rush to safety during the advent of the flood. But, all of them stayed in different evacuation centers for weeks with no sense of their lives' direction.

It was during the end of February 2012 that a total of 249 households were already transferred to the Ecoville. DSWD's comprehensive list helped the Xavier Ecoville identify the families who lived in no-build zones and had their homes washed out. Families as such were drafted to live in the Ecoville.

As the construction of more temporary bunk houses continues, “We are expecting 251 more households to be settled in the following weeks,” mentioned Iris Montellano, Ecoville Camp Manager. The transfer of families will finish by June. And, in 8 months, a chapel, community center and about 500 permanent houses for the relocatees are expected to stand on the 5.3 hectare Ecoville.

While waiting for the Ecoville's completion, relocatees are undergoing livelihood training. Outside bunk houses, some households are already planting vegetables for selling and consumption. As of March, a cooperative is already taking its advent as the relocatees and livelihood facilitators are raising membership and funds to meet the requirements for the coop's legislation. A small stall containing food and other products serves as the consumer cooperative's store and base.

“Those who are skilled in cooking and crafts are encouraged to display their products in the stall,” said Christine Torvillo, Xavier Ecoville Livelihood Facilitator. This endeavor, as soon as it fulfills the legal requirements, will soon become the Xavier Ecoville Beneficiary Multipurpose Cooperative, a cooperative for the Ecoville inhabitants.

Elle Lour, a former baker and cooperative member, wishes to raise capital for starting a bakery. “Kung naa na koy gamit nga insakto, magsugod na ko ug balik sa panginabuhi para makapondar ko sa akong pamilya,” says Elle. He is one of the many who wish to continue to strive despite the flood disrupting their lives.

Also one of such is Vicente Ruiz, a security guard at Xavier University. A week after the flood, having ensured his family's condition and replacing his uniform that got lost in the flood, Vicente went back to work – guarding the school gate as the relief operations were going on. Charita, his wife, directly tended to the family. During the course of their transfers from Xavier University covered court to Manresa then to Ecoville, his children, Rose Cherry, a development communication student in the university and her brothers continued going to school.

Vicente, Elle and all relocatees living in the Ecoville are moving on and having a new start in their new found community. This takes them a leap further from the tragic past and a step closer to a better future.

“We call it community building in the real sense of the words because these families coming from different places and different walks of life are being brought together,” says Montellano. “Physically, we are bringing them together to their new homes but in thought they are also brought to new lives,” she added.

Xavier Ecoville, carrying the principles of environmentalism, with the cumulative efforts of Xavier University, Habitat for Humanity Philippines, LGUs and other stakeholders are building this new community of renewed people.

Definitely, the effort is not only building homes but also rebuilding lives.

A child runs to plant vegetables in a garden outside his family's bunk house in Xavier Ecoville. Photo by Gaps Sabuero.

Spell-O-Matic Blocks

MEET Mrs Letty Maglacion – a Grade 1-Lily teacher in Bugo Central School. She has been a teacher for 28 long years. Her seniority has made her a leader in Grade 1 level for six years. At present, she is a Teacher 3 (Read: She earns quite a lot).

But it is not about the money (as Jessie J would say it in her Price Tag song) that she endures teaching little kids (Read: KIDS) but it is her passion and dedication in educating children. And this ardor has led her to what she calls Spell-O-Matic Blocks.

Curious, I asked if this is her original ‘invention.’ She proudly said yes. She baptized this IM as such, spelling out the name of the punctuation mark that squeezes in O in the middle as dash. I protested (long pause) in my mind as I remembered PDI Stylebook (Read: A journalist’s Bible) mention that hyphen, joins; dash separates. The word is a portmanteau of Spelling and Automatic.

Now let us go back to where we were before I totally go off tangent.

These blocks are made of discarded boxes. She formed a block in which each side of the slab is a letter of the English alphabet. Just in case you have forgotten, there are 26 letters of the English alphabet. The letters are mounted against a colorful backdrop.

She made a hundred of these Spell-O-Matic Blocks. There are 40 students in her class and five tables in her well-lit room. She assigns 20 blocks per table. She uses this IM in her English subject, particularly in her lesson on Building Words. I call it Spelling. She agreed.

She starts with simple words. She starts with words having a Consonant-Vowel-Consonant (CVC) structure, like the words rat and cat. Then, she moves the difficulty a notch higher to Consonant-Vowel-Vowel-Consonant (CVVC) structure, like the words meat and beat.

The students form the word/s using the blocks. They manipulate these attractive blocks.

She does drill of building words by family, meaning, for words with the CVC structure, she changes the first letter first then later the last letter – say from Cat to Rat to Bat, and so on; for the words with CVVC structure, on the other hand, she changes the first or/and the final letter – say from BeaT to MeaT or FarT to MarK, and so on.

She would make the building of words as a contest by table. And then, after the group contest she would assess them individually.

“Because of this IM, my students have become fast-readers,” she said. Furthermore, students are taught proper pronunciation of the word after they have ‘built’ the word.

I have seen it myself that the students were not bored. They are so engaged with the use of the blocks.

“It is as if they are playing, which they actually are, and yet at the same time they learn how to spell the words,” she said with a grin.

She has the same IM for Mathematics only that she calls it Place Value Blocks. On each side of the bock are numbers with labels on top to represent place values (Hundreds, Tens, and Ones).

She uses this IM in her lesson on Writing Numbers.

After English and Math, I remembered Science. She said that there is no Science subject in Grade 1 in a sense that Science, as a subject, is integrated in English. For example, students learn the parts of the flower in our English subject.

The perks of this IM? This could perhaps pass Tourism’s campaign: It is more fun in the Philippines. She said that her students have fun while learning. And for her, that is important.

This is an assignment submitted for Education 27 Principles in Teaching.

Learning ceases not

IT IS humbling to learn things that, as a practicing teacher, I thought I have known already.

I thought I knew Curriculum. But hey, Curriculum is not just about the Lesson Plan. In fact, it can be everything including the learned curriculum which refers to what the students actually learn and what is measured and even the hidden curriculum or the unintended one. These types of curriculum were such an eye opener for me.

Not only did I only realize things that matter to me but I was also inspired to pursue my plan of having my own school in the future. With the discussion on the different points of view and the historical foundations of curriculum, I have envisioned of a school that where the “seconds,” from the traditionalists point of view, are tantamount to the “firsts.” I have imagined a school where everyone is treated equally because each is different from one another.

It may sound cliché but it is true. As a practicing teacher, I have a first-hand experience of the uniqueness of each of my students in my classroom. And it is a challenge for me to cater to each of them. And as I accommodate these differences, I have appreciated the beauty of multiple intelligences.

This project in itself is a helpful and meaningful learning experience for me. This is a stepping stone for the pursuit of my dream. I am proud that this is not just a “recycled” idea but this is one that is thought of and not just lifted from the archives. This is something that is meaningful for its inspiration is base on the difference in race and belief between me and my partner.

I am different. My partner is different from me. Inside the classroom is a celebration of diversity. And what I like about this fact is the opportunity to learn from each other. I like to be in my Professional Education classes for it is an abode of ideas. There is a robust exchange of ideas, none barred, that my mind is sharpened. And I like it that way.

And the healthy argument and debate is moderated by our able and credible teacher, who inspires me and everyone in the classroom to learn more; to achieve what she has achieved and to even outgrow her.

In the end, life is all about learning. Learning ceases not. As what I have said during my first day in my Curriculum Development class, I remember: I am a teacher who is a student.

This is a Reflection Paper submitted for Education 26 Curriculum Development.

Of being a teacher

I was a church kid.

And being one means attending Sunday School where I have learned that father Abraham has seven children; that with Christ in my vessel I can smile at the storm; and that my Jesus is alive forevermore.

Other than action songs, Bible stories are also at the hub in Sunday School at church, which was just right in our backyard. And Sunday School teachers have made these stories about Noah’s Ark, David and Goliath, Joseph the Dreamer, among others, more plausible.

Looking back, the years I spent in Sunday School, along with a group of friends which we collectively call as The Gatekeepers, formed the foundation of what I know now as my passion. Teaching.

But before I have succumbed to this passion to which I believe I am wired of, I was lost in translation for a significant amount of time. I was a wallpaper – ubiquitous. I was Jack of all trades, my Muslim friend commented about me. Ouch. Although it helps that you know how to do a variety of things but to box a punch bag is better than to box the air.

Four years ago, opportunity came. It knocked. And I opened the door without hesitation.

But it feels like it was just yesterday that I started teaching. I remember my first day in the classroom. I was introduced by a senior faculty to a small group of college kids who were bigger than skinny-me. It was awkward. I asked them the last lesson they had before the teacher I replaced left because all I know is that one, it was a basic journalism class and two, I was there to teach. They answered. I was anxious. It was my first.

But everyone would always have their firsts. It takes a lot of courage to take the first step. Ask yourself. You were once a baby. After, one improves. One becomes better and consciously decides to become even better. I did that. I enrolled for additional units in Education.

In my classroom, there used to be an emphasis on declarative knowledge, but now I am even more conscious of the fact that synthesis and evaluation is way better a gauge of understanding and learning. I have shared this recently when one student had his oral examination and apparently he was simply mouthing exact words from his photocopied material.

In your own words, please, I asked him. But I was guilty. While he was struggling to own his answer, I was asking myself: How many of my students in the past were like him? How did I not teach them how to learn?

Personal gain aside, I have consciously thought of enrolling in further studies so as not to stunt the growth of my students and my future students as well.

I do not know exactly how many years or semesters or months more do I have to spend in the university as a teacher. I have thought of grabbing an opportunity in Indonesia to teach English in an international school. What better way to teach Uncle Sam’s tongue than using action songs and stories, not necessarily from the Bible. I am excited. I’d prolly make a teacher out of these kids.

This is a reflection paper submitted for Education 27 Principles of Teaching base on the 2009 Indian comedy film 3 Idiots.

Better than blisters

IT was already beyond the normal number of days one is expected to have it and the blisters were still on my body. Thank God they did not develop on my face lest I do not have the face, perhaps, to show in the Freshmen Orientation at the University of the Philippines.

Hello college life.

Towards the end of the orientation, a commotion started to brew outside the venue then eventually when the orientation hit its last note, the chant outside the hall even became louder. The freshies were welcomed by the sentiments of the aktibista, for which UP is known of, regarding the budget cut on Education made by the Arroyo administration while more funds were given to Military and Defense.

But unlike his predecessor, P-Noy has allotted a bigger chunk of the gross domestic product (GDP) to the Department of Education (DepEd), 2.2 per cent that is. This should be especially now, and especially that the state is a prime educational stakeholder, that part of the incumbent’s Educational Reform Program is K+12 system.

The said system, in a nutshell, includes the universal kindergarten, six years of elementary, four years of Junior High School, and an additional of two years for Senior High School hence the name K+12.

In the interest of the parents of the students, apparently, the new system means that they would be spending more also, with the addition of two more years in high school, than what they used to. I believe this is a main concern amongst parents.

But if you think about it, the intended benefits of the program far outweighed the costs. In a summit held in a college in Manila, Education Undersecretary for Finance Francis Valera said that the earning potential of the graduate would increase with the additional years of schooling. The income of a person who graduated from a six-year course is P35, 280 as compared to P19, 876 for a four-year high course only graduate. The difference is a lot.

For other stakeholders, especially private groups, businessmen, and non-government organizations (NGOs), the K+12 curricula means more profit that can be plowed back (and prestige of course) as supporting and investing means more publicity and media mileage.

The restructure of the basic education system also means a most-likely increase in productivity for their company or organization because the K+12 system aims to better prepare the students emotionally and intellectually. So they would have more competitive would-be employees whose market is not just restricted to the local but as well as overseas. With the K+12, Filipinos can now be more competitive than with the old system as they meet and conform to the standards in the international market.

We see that with the K+12, stakeholders have to shell out more but in the end these costs are offset by the quality of the produce.

To prepare for this ‘major, major’ change in the education sector, materials are now being prepared for the different learning areas, as well as learning resources like teachers’ guides, activity packages, and student modules. More facilities as well are expected to be procured and built.

So noble the aims of this change in the Philippine educational system but what good will it do if one, the attitude of the students towards learning remain yet to be desired. We hear students complaining about the extra two years in high school.

But for me, I’d rather whine about having chicken pox for the second time around than going to high school two more years.

This is an assignment for Education 26 Curriculum Development.

Magis

THE interaction we had with the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) sheltered in the covered court of the university had me thinking of the task remaining. There is still a humungous scale of work that needs to be done to help these IDPs.

House. They badly need a house. Not a tent. I can attest to how pathetic it is not to have a house because I once lost our house to fire nine years ago.

And how many IDPs need houses? Thousands. It makes me wonder how many days do they still have to endure living in tents. It makes me wonder how many days does it take to finish a single house. It makes me count the days it take to house ALL of the IDPs.

But more than the physical structure of the house, these people need a home. Home may never be the same again for these people because they might have lost a member or two of their family but at least they have people whom they can pour out their emotions to.

After our short intervention with eight of the IDPs, one came up to us and with a genuine smile and tone of her voice she said Salamat. That was so sweet to our ears. From my end, I do not know exactly what we have done knowing that it was too short a time to prepare but the response was a gauge of our efficiency.

The intervention was simple. We had it focused on living with each other in harmony. But it achieved its purpose. After the Trust Fall challenge, they started processing the activity. They talked. We listened. We learned.

Sendong may be gone but it left everyone valuable lessons.

I remember. After my Curriculum Development class, I hurriedly went out and headed to the covered court for the final rehearsal of the Broadway presentation for the university-wide Christmas party slated on Dec 17 2011. I was pumped. At home, I had my black satin long pants, vest, white long sleeves, black shoes, and to top it all, my fedora hat ala Bruno Mars ready.

New York, New York. It seems that I have raped the play button for that song in my brain. I just could not get over of Frank Sinatra’s song that celebrates the city that never sleeps.

But that party has to be canceled and so are most of the Christmas parties I know. It would not be right that we will be partying while there were many on that night who were disturbed from their sleep, who were carried away by the deluge Sendong brought forth and some were found and some were not even up until now.

These are the days, I reflected, when we think less of ourselves and more of others.

This is a reflection paper submitted for Education 010 Community Immersion and Participation.

KEDRN conquers mud, rubbish

“Any calamity nga mahitabo, it will not just be a crisis but as well as an opportunity. This could be the best opportunity for us nga ipakita sa Cagayan de Oro nga we do care sa Cagayan de Oro,” stressed Bishop Genesis “Bong” Udang, director of Kagay-an Evangelical Disaster Response Network (KEDRN), as he addressed volunteers of the clean-up drive.

Almost 600 volunteers from the evangelical community gathered Friday morning in the kiosk and were armed with brushes, broom sticks, wheel burrow, rakes and shovel and spread themselves in the streets from Burgos-Montalban to Abellanosa to clean the area – houses and halls included.

Czarinavern Nokom, 15, a volunteer from the LAMP Foundation and a member of Jesus for All Bugo said that she was invited and “Tsada sad siya kay makatabang bitaw. Grabe ilang pasalamat then kanang na overwhelm sila kay bisag dili mi kaila, nag tabang mi sa ila then daghan pud mi natabang.”

Mrs Eva C Corro, 66, a resident of barangay 13 was hesitant at first to accommodate volunteers to help her clean her house but “sa diha nga nakit-an nako nga eager kaayo sila, nalipay kay ko. Ana ko nga ‘sige, you may start folding your sleeves’.”

“Naminos-minosan gyud kaayo ang among buluhaton ug labaw sa tanan kay naa pa ang Iyang panalangin. Ug kini ilang gipahinumdom kanato nga matag karon ug unya, nagkinahanglan gyud kita ug panalangin sa Ginoo ug di gyud ta malimot sa pagsangpit kaniya all the time, all the way,” says Corro.

Volunteers conquered thick mud and heaps of garbage that have been the concern of residents, other than water, in the said vicinity after TS Sendong hit the city last December 16.

Barangay 15 Captain Lucilo P Legaspi said that 90 percent of the rubbish in the streets was disposed already. But there remains much to be cleaned inside houses.

“Pagkakarun, kung sa dalan lang nga basura, naa nami sa 90 percent. Nakuha naman gud sa barangay. Daghan man pud ang naghakot. Sa dalan maingun ko 90 percent pero sa mga balay-balay, naa pa siguro mi sa 50 percent nga panghinloon,” says Legaspi.

Bishop Udang, in his message addressed to the volunteers who were waiting for their lunch meal in Jesus is Christ Lord Church, said that the need caused by the typhoon presented an opportunity for the evangelical community in the city.

“Sa Chinese character kung magsulat daw ka ug word nga crisis, ininsik, mabantayan nimo nga mao ra pud nga character ang pagbasa nimo nga ang ipasabot is opportunity,” he shared and mentioned that it is an insight he learned in a training with the Peace and Reconciliation Commission.

“Crisis sa Cagayan de Oro pero opportunity sa Kingdom of God or sa evangelical community to show to Cagayan de Oro that ‘Here we are, nia mi mga evangelical and we care for you. We are willing to serve you. We are willing nga among himuon among kamot nga dirty nga para maalagaran mo’,” he continued.

The support of the pastors of the evangelical community in the city was overwhelming that the number of volunteers went beyond the 400 mark anticipated during the planning stage of the activity. The organizers are hoping that there will be another round of such activity after New Year.

Cagayan de Oro Evangelical Ministers’ Association (COEMA) and Metro Cagayan Ministers’ Fellowship (MCMF) are just two groups that have tied up with KEDRN. Other groups linked to the latter are International Disaster Response Network (IDRN), Operation Blessing, and the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches.

The Department of Social Welfare Department (DSWD), tasked by the national government to spearhead relief operations, recognizes the efforts of KEDRN.

CCMN responds to Sendong aftermath

A TEAM from Cell Church Ministry Network (CCMN) arrived Dec 24 2011from Hong Kong and Taiwan for post-TS Sendong (International Name: Washi) assessment.

“We cannot wait because time is short. People are running out of time. We have to respond quickly,” says Daniel Yiu, team leader.

Two members of the team, Joseph Tsao and Wen Wei, are Taiwanese nationals who are experts in disaster response. They have participated in rescuing and rebuilding operations in Sichuan, China after an earthquake shook the said province in 2008.

Other members of the team are Bikshan Cheng, a freelance writer, and Ivan Chan, a public health specialist who has worked with World Vision in China.

“My schedule is very flexible so when my church call people to come to help people in the Philippines. I just raised my hand and said ‘Ok I can do it. I can fly to that area,’” says Pixan.

“These people come and give us some good ideas and suggestions on what to do,” says Daniel.

The team has visited areas ravaged by the flashflood like Isla de Oro and Sitio Kala-kala.

“Actually, we have seen the actual situation and talked to some victims and understood their story and (we will) bring back true story to tell the people,” says Daniel, who was also a missionary to India for 12 years.

One of the concerns in flood-stricken areas is community and house cleaning so the team bought a pressure washer and a water pump. It has demonstrated to the local people in Montalban, Burgos and Isla Delta how to use these machines for sucking water from the river and for cleaning muddied houses.

Before going home, the team visited Calaanan relocation site for a prayer walk. Reportedly, 200 tents will be temporarily pitched in the said site on Dec 29, 2011 to shelter internally displaced persons (IDP) coming from evacuation centers. CCMN might be able to sponsor a number of houses for IDPs to be built in the permanent relocation site.

In January 2009, when a flashflood hit Cagayan de Oro mainly in the same areas TS Sendong wreaked havoc, CCMN has donated semi-concrete type of houses.

CCMN has been a long-time partner of Celebration International Church Network and Foundation. It sends teams of short-term missionaries annually to the Philippines.

BUKAL conducts training on trauma counseling

Balikatan, Ugnayan, Kaagapay, at Lingap (BUKAL) Life Care and Counseling Center conducted a three-day disaster response training in light of the havoc caused by typhoon Sendong in Cagayan de Oro on Dec 16 2011.

“If you would come and see our counseling motto, we have this ‘Spiritually aware, clinically competent’ so we respect the spirituality of the person and we help them out cope with their crisis through their spirituality. But we don’t neglect the psychological discipline. So it is a combination of theology and psychology together,” Rev Joel Aguirre, Executive Director of BUKAL, explained.

BUKAL, which means spring, a source of fresh water, follows a certain method of stress debriefing from the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA). There are three points that the trainees follow: (1) SS - Safety and Security is building rapport and explaining to the victims the agenda of the session; (2) VV - Validation and Ventilation is acknowledging that the victims were traumatized and allowing them to vent out their feeling; (3) PP - Preparation and Prediction is allowing them to find their own strength, and building certain decision making how they can cope with their crisis.

“The conclusion part we try to educate them (victims) and encourage them to keep on hoping. They have to build their hope so they may be able to keep on with their life and cope with their crisis,” Reverend Aguirre continues.

From Oro Christian Grace School, venue of the training, the trainees, ‘spiritual paramedics,’ will be sent to evacuation centers on the last day for their internship.

“Importante jud diay kaayo nga naa gyuy kanang maistoryahan ang isa ka biktima. Dapat gyud sensitibo ka, dapat masabtan nimo sila bisan unsa pa ilang e-express,” Ps Rosemarie Eduave International Disaster Response Network (IDRN) volunteer, shares her lessons in the training.

Typhoon Sendong, that claimed a thousand of lives in Northern Mindanao, especially in Cagayan de Oro, changed the plan of the team of Reverend Aguirre who came here originally for another seminar.

“What had happened like we come here for that another matter, but the disaster happened so it all changed so as much as we have a training in disaster response we want to be relevant,” Reverend Aguirre recalls.

BUKAL Life Ministries, a non-denominational Christian Ministry based in Baguio City, was officially formed in November 2009 in response to the damage of typhoon Pepeng (International Name: Parma) to Benguet Province.