Osmeña Peak has become Mainstream

In 2001, we had a disco at Osmeña Peak, powered by a generator. Young people from all the barangays of Dalaguete answered the call to celebrate an electoral victory. All disco equipment were tied and hung in bamboo poles, laid on shoulders of excited men, and carried through the dangerous trek. We were guarded by armed police that night. Fog descended early, and the party lasted until dawn. Shaggy's hits, "Angel" and "It Wasn't Me", kept on playing as we danced with friends and familiar Dalaguetnon faces. It was a night to remember.

I went to the Peak this afternoon and saw a great number of unfamiliar faces; cars were lined up in Lapa at the foot of the peak; Habal2s were everywere; and stores have mushroomed. The omnipresence of visitors have rendered the stones smooth and weathered. With all the activity, inch by inch, the Peak's height is reduced; taken away by shoes which trample the loosened soil and stones.

In 2001, going to the Peak would earn you extra bragging rights. The Peak was so mysterious, captivating, and deadly then. Only very few come there. During that time, it was real communion with nature. You have to walk on a dirt road from the market to the peak. Some would opt for the shortcut where there's that spring to refill water. Going up there was really an adventure, and the arrival at the summit, is the compensation for all the hard work.

Now, people just ride to the drop off point at the foot of the peak. The road is paved today. A tourist info center has been constructed, and the path of rough-edged boulders have been hammered and chiseled smooth. Then there are these handful of self-proclaimed guides and handymen to pester you upon ascent. The variety of garbage too have significantly increased. Truly, it has evolved into a true definition of a tourist spot. Hayyyyy.... And those shirts are ought to be banned.

It is very different now.

Sea Urchins and friends

Out of boredom, my friends and I decided to spend the afternoon trying to get tuyom or sea urchins. I don't know if they know that the edible parts of sea urchins are actually their reproductive organs. I often tell people this fact, but instead of grossing them with the idea of eating those parts, it makes them even more excited as I am.

And so we brought a knife, a bowl, vinegar, a liter of freshwater, some lunch leftovers, and four cups of cooked rice... We grabbed (stole) some sili and lemonsito from neighbors' frontyards on our way to the sea. Along with a sako, we brought this powerful tool, a branch with a Y-shape end.

The mission was a failure. The water is still deep. Even so, the scene gave me a deep reminder of the past. I often go to the sea before, but not anymore. The last time I went near our sea was when I visited a few house campaiging for the elections.

Y-shaped end for getting the sea urchin

When I was young, I was like the others who look at the sea for amusement. We scout for balani and use it as raft; fight with mud; steal coconuts; watch circumcision rites; and wash clothes in the guiwanon spring.

The old ones taught us how to spot hagiis, tampayak, salawaki, aninikad, bangkawil, buta2, and ganga. We dig for ipan, and we harvest lusay fruits. We were not ignorant of the poisonous ones; that the bahag2 and bakay2 may look nasty but are harmless... We step on donsol for it to release purple ink... and of course squeese balat and wait for the sticky liquid to ooze making us laugh.

Sometimes we join in the frenzy when the older guys use tuble vine whose juice released when crushed make the Ito fish dizzy.

We know the plants near the sea, the oon and nigad on the palanas, and the pagatpat and bakhaw in the water.

I felt nostalgic as I waded in the water to go to the next cove. I recalled the spots we used for picnics. Ka Mattias, Ka Talina, Ka David--these are the beach fronts frequented by our community folks before. We do not go far when we celebrate Easter or San Juan. We just go to our sea.

Today, much has changed. Dakay owns most of the land going to the sea. The boulders we use to jump to the water are gone. It felt strange.

Yesterday, for the first time in a long time, my friends and I waded in the waist-deep water. Bringing sako and Y-shaped tuyom tool, we waded with excitement and disappointment.

We waded until we reached Obong Spring, realized entrance is free if you come from the sea, took a dip in its cool waters, ate our balon, and walked home in the highway laughing and feeling foolish.

This is my summer. And summer, indeed, is a mixture of varied emotions. We're just glad that happiness is greater than the other ones.

MUNICIPALITY OF DALAGUETE IS AWARDED THE SYNERGEIA SEAL OF GOOD EDUCATION GOVERNANCE

"THE SEAL IS A GUARANTEE, A MARK OF CREDIBILITY AND AUTHENTICITY, AND A SYMBOL OF EXCELLENCE BESTOWED UPON EXEMPLARY LGUS TO HONOR THEIR PURSUIT OF THE DELIVERY OF BASIC EDUCATION IN AN EXCEPTIONAL AND RELENTLESS MANNER. 

THE SEAL HONORS THE LGU'S ACHIEVEMENTS AND GUARANTEES THE DELIVERY OF QUALITY BASIC EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN THROUGH COMMUNITY COOPERATION.

OUT OF ALL LGUS IN THE COUNTRY, AROUND 250 WERE SHORTLISTED, BUT ONLY 24 CITIES AND MUNICIPALITIES HAVE BEEN JUDGED TO RECEIVE THE SEAL."

DALAGUETE, CEBU IS ONE OF THEM.

Established in 2002, Synergeia is a coalition of individuals and organizations working closely with about 400 LGUs to improve the delivery of basic education to Filipino children.

The foundation intends to award the Seal of Good Education Governance to deserving LGUs every year. It received 250 LGU nominations through its website this year.

Determining the list of seal recipients was a board of judges composed of representatives from Synergeia and the Department of Education. To receive the seal, LGUs must have broadened the membership and functions of their local school board. Most of their schools should have functional School Governing Councils. Judges will also check how the LGUs have involved their communities in enabling all children to go to school.

The Special Education Fund (SEF) in the LGUs Budget must also be used on activities that promote learning.

As an indicator of performance, the average National Achievement Test score of elementary school children must be higher than the national average of 66 percent, or must have increased by at least two percentage points. Alternatively, the LGUs must have reduced the number of poor readers by at least 15 percent. Moreover, their cohort survival rate (the percentage of first graders who go on to complete sixth grade) must be higher than the national average of 70 percent, or must have increased by at least two percentage points. Finally, the LGUs must have recorded a decrease in non-readers and frustrated readers by at least 15 percentage points. 

"We put together an education governance scorecard to focus on the results of their work. While anecdotes and feel-good stories about education initiatives are helpful, the scorecard enables us to objectively evaluate the performance of LGUs," said Synergeia chief executive officer Milwida Guevara. "We are happy to recognize these outstanding LGUs, and hope that the Seal of Good Education Governance would inspire them to keep making children's education a priority in their governance agenda," she added.

DALAGAN PARA SA DUMALAN NHS: DALAGUETNONS AS A COMMUNITY DOING THEIR ROLE IN EDUCATION AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Participants sign their names to manifest support of this worthy cause.

In Dalaguete, we believe that education is the responsibility of everyone. We believe that it will take a village to educate a child. We believe that the future of Dalaguete is of great importance to be left solely in the hands of the teachers or principals. For education to positively change the lives of Dalaguetnon children, the government and all able-bodied citizens must give a part of themselves to help our schools. After all, as Mayor Ronald Allan Cesante puts it, “This is to ensure that the next generation of Dalaguetnons to replace us are better than us.”

As part of this strategic vision, the Municipal Government of Dalaguete (MGD) invested on links for the social capital and created an education-governance-community interface as vehicle for resource mobilization on education. Put simply, the MGD initiates activities where everyone can help our children obtain quality education as the foundation to improve their lives and sustainable development.

Following this thrust, the MGD Officials led by Acting Municipal Mayor Jeffrey Belciña through the Community Development (COMDEV) Unit under Ms. Gena Buenconsejo, the DepEd and other offices, organized the Dalagan para sa Dumalan NHS—a fun run activity for the purchase of armchairs and facilities enhancement of the newly-established Dumalan NHS. This came as a brainchild of Honorable SB Members Felix Villacorta and Hon. Royce Nikko Cesante who strongly set the objectives of the activity after seeing the needs of the Dumalan NHS students.



The Technical Working Group of the event.



The members of event committees



Held on a cool early Saturday morning of February 4, 2017, the Run finished with an overwhelming success. Over 700 runners from different walks of life registered for the 3 KM and 5 KM running categories. For the 5 KM category John Cliff Debolusan, John Darryl Manos, and Ricky Amamangpang won the first, second, and third places respectively. On the other hand, Renan Amamangpang, Gerald Orozco, and Seann Kyle Trapero won the first, second, and third places respectively in the 3 KM category.



The winners... The three in neon orange for 5KM, and the ones on each end for 3KM.

The Run was an enormous gathering of teachers, students, other government employees, and running enthusiasts. All of them came not only to help Dumalan NHS, but also to celebrate the coming of the 306th Annual Fiesta of Dalaguete.



All smiles and making history in this worthy cause, the education stakeholders ran and danced in the Zumba while accumulating a net proceeds of about a hundred thousand. This has met the school’s necessities, and exceeded the expectations of the organizers. The School Head of Dumalan NHS, Ms. Florencia Orozco and Dumalan Brgy. Captain Juanito Ybañez gratefully received the cash proceeds. In a message during the event, Hon. Nikko Cesante thanked those who came and said that the huge number of registrants is “Dalaguete giving back to the community.”



Gun start for 3KM Category


Gun start for 5 KM category

The MGD and the organizers are forever optimistic that the same display of unity during the Dalagan para sa Dumalan NHS would be fostered forever. After all, in Dalaguete, we believe that learners come first. We want our children and young people to enjoy learning, make better progress, and achieve high standards. To do this, relationships need to be established and key players must work well to ensure that Dalaguete schools offer quality facilities, and are sufficiently available, so as to offer choices, good access, and better environment in which to learn.

Christmas Message to Teachers 2016

Dalaguete Public Elementary Schools Teachers’ Association (DAPESTA) honoring of retirees, teachers, and Christmas Party 2016

December 21, 2016 at Blue Pot, Cawayan, Dalaguete

Dr. Eddie Lumayag, PSDS

DAPESTA President, Mrs. Reynes

Principals

Head Teachers

TICs

School Caretakers

And other school heads

Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen!

Maayong buntag kanatong tanan!

My dear teachers, you haven’t aged a day. Your young, beautiful and handsome faces remind me of my childhood in Balud Elementary School… Memories…

The good, the bad, the sad, the happy and the life changing ones.

Naa diri kadtong mga nagtudlo nako ug basa, sulat, estorya sa stage, solve problems, do art, learn to appreciate beauty, do experiments, scouting, and acquire good values…

Naa pud diri kadtong mga nangurit nako… But to be honest, I have taken it positively.. However, things are very different now.

My dear teachers, childhood is the father of all men… What we are today is the product of our experiences when we were still children… As teachers, you are responsible to a great degree for the future of a person. And for that, you are very very important. That is why I chose to be like you, a teacher…

We, at the Municipal Government of Dalaguete are very much delighted for DAPESTA. It is high time that its president, Maam Herminia, will sit with the Municipal Local School Board to represent the Teachers of the Municipality. After all, your part in shaping the future of Dalaguete is indispensable.

As you honor some of your members today along with your celebration of the Season of Joy, we share with you the same feeling of gratitude and happiness. The countless pupils whom you have inspired is the pinnacle of your very existence.

We will always take to heart, that those who taught us in college we remember mostly for what they did for our minds. But those who taught us in elementary school made their marks on our character, our ways of thinking about life, our ambitions, our immortal souls!!!

The best education, is in Dalaguete; and that education is with you teachers of Dalaguete.

Thank you, and Happy Christmas!

WHY THE ENGLISH TEACHER DIED AT CHRISTMAS

by Myra Muriel Go

I had the delight of reading this work on the bulletin board at SMA before. From that day until now, I have been meaning my students to enjoy this piece. Happy Christmas! -Sir Leo

It was the day of the Christmas program, and Teacher Helen was not feeling well at all.

Teacher Helen had been teaching English at the same school for twenty years. She was forty years old and forty is supposed to be a very good age to be for any teacher. That means a teacher would have enriched many, many lives.

Still, Teacher Helen was very unhappy, having grown increasingly disappointed with her efforts at teaching English in the last five years.

Even if she doubled her efforts at explaining the rules of subject and verb agreement, she still got sentences that read: The poem are about, or, I think and felt or, Rizal and her writing; and even if the only strategy she hadn’t used was to dance the tango to induce her students to read, she ultimately got reactions like, Teacher? Did I like Kipling? Duh, I dunno, I never kippled before. Is that like bungee jumping?

Or worse, Shakespeare? Is he the new guy with the X-men? The one with the vibrating laser beam?

Teacher Helen couldn’t figure it out very well, could not say where exactly the problem lay. Although her students only spoke smatterings of English they seemed to understand much of it; specially films, or the NBA games. And they correctly pronounced all the signature brands of clothes and colognes. They also liked to celebrate the American festivals like Valentine’s and Halloween. Her students used English mostly to express their thoughts and feelings on those days, even though their efforts left something to be desired:

I Labs Ya. Dya Labs Me 2? Or better, Will ya be may Balentine? U’r cool!

At Halloween they told her of their adventures. Mum! We went to trek and tret.

In the gentlest manner she would say, Oh, Trick or Treat! How wonderful. And Jund, that’s Ma’m. Maaa’m. Mum used to be an underarm deodorant.

Teacher Helen also thought that she didn’t want to teach speech anymore, for it began to feel like The Mother of All Jawbreakers. To try to help students distinguish between the P and the F, B and the V, and the soft and hard TH, and worse diphthongs, seemed Teacher Helen to need several lifetimes to accomplish.

To make matters even worse, her colleagues weren’t much help.

Just the day before, during their faculty meeting, Teacher Helen had to suffer through the entire two hours of English use being systematically slaughtered by the subject area coordinators.

Let’s go to the ballroom dancing! No, I’ve got to go to the house early. It’s my baby’s check in the pedja. You know por da awting let’s go to the bitch in Nasugbu.

To ensure her sanity by the end of the meeting, she formulated some learning objectives. Silently, of course.

O-ke, o-ke, the principal said. Tomorrow’s our program. Is the chairs there prom the delivery?

(…to distinguish P and F sounds)

Yes Mum.

The Science people, how’s the exhibits

(…must always agree in number)

O-ki Mum. Biri Creetib Mum. P-6 and Kim ar tim is Science, Da Stap of Lipe and Libing.

(…must be able to clearly pronounce English sounds)

Whatabout Math?Good Mum. We Mutt people are riddi. Da grid tu will sing about the Aso-syatib and Comyo-tatib to da song of Chisnut Roosting on da Open Payr.

(…must speak English)

Art and Music?Da kids will sing Samsungs and dance the dances.

(…must not smirk)

Da buckdrop is pinis, and light epecks we check olreydi.

(…must not puke on the table)

Last year one payrents complain of the warmth so pliss, check the ercon.

(…must grit my teeth)

What about Ingliss? Titser Helen?

(…must not five in to urge to reply, I tits my class)

All the grade five sections will recite The Night Before Christmas.

(…must practice Christian values of humility, honesty, perseverance)

The meeting ended soon after that, and Teacher Helen was very relieved to have survived it.But this morning, when she awoke from a very bad dream in which she was banished to hell, tied to a chair and made to listen to Jimmy Santos, she told herself maybe it was time to shift professions.

Insurance maybe? Or real estate?

Maybe she should shift languages.

No, no, no she told herself. How could I think of that at this time of the year, when Christmas carols are in the air, and everyone, yes, everyone still greeted each other, Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!

Maybe I should relent and allow fragmented language in class.

But I can’t give up now! It’s my life’s work!

These were her thoughts as she trudged up the steps to the hospital entrance.

Merry Christmas! The receptionist at the medical specialist’s center greeted her.

Oh, and Merry Christmas to you to, my dear, she replied. She was so relieved that the sounds were correct.

Do you have an appointment? The receptionist asked.

I’m sorry but I don’t, Teacher Helen answered with a smile, and a feeling almost vibrant.

Come again? The lady asked. At that moment the phone ran. Excuse me please, the receptionist said as she answered.

No, I’m sorry, the doctor won’t be in for another hour. Shall I give him your message? Yes, I’ve got that. Thank you for calling, have a nice day, and Merry Christmas.

There is a God, Teacher Helen thought as she relished the words she had just heard.

Suddenly curious about the rarity of the person, she decided to chat a little bit.

You know, you’re so familiar. Which school did you attend?

Laughter.

You mean which school did I teach at. I was an English teacher before I quit to work here.

Oh. May I ask why?

I finally realized that trying to teach English was being Sisyphus, a hopeless, uphill going nowhere job.

And so you quit.

Wisest thing I ever did in my life.

Yes. Of course

Some of my friends have better paying jobs abroad. DH-Tutors. Have their own houses.

Teacher Helen didn’t feel as good as she did a while ago. She fell into deep thought, interrupted at last by her physician who arrived, hounded by a large group of medical reps waving Christmas packages.

Merry Christmas, Helen, not feeling well this season?

Teacher Helen seemed far away, managing a wan reply. Can you believe this?

She whispered, a little lost.

An hour later, Teacher Helen was still there, as the waiting room emptied of the other patients.

It might have been pleasant waiting all together had not the receptionist asked one patient, Have you been x-rayed?

No, was the patient’s quick reply. I was ultra-violated.

Teacher Helen shot a glance at the patient, then locked gaze with the receptionist. Like a trouper that she was, the receptionist ignored the mistake and kept silent.

And like the teacher that she still was, Teacher Helen was about to speak in correction. At the last moment though, she too kept silent.

At that moment another receptionist came over from the kidney doctor’s clinic.

Hey, did you hear about the baby our next door pedia lost this morning?

No, what happened? Sepsis. Infected ambivalent cord.

Teacher Helen staggered to her feet, feeling like she had been shot.

Ma’m? Are you leaving? You’re next.

Really? Thanks so much. So Teacher Helen returned to her seat.

We have this Christmas program I’d like to catch, you see.

Her doctor said it was stress, that’s all. That the chest pains were imagined. That she was taking her job too seriously. That perhaps she should extend her Christmas vacation well into January.

She promised to consider it, and was actually preparing a little speech in her head as she walked into the school auditorium filled with clapping parents and costumed children.

Her principal was glaring at her, but Teacher Helen came right up to her assigned seat on the front row, together with the other members of the faculty and did not notice how late she was.

Soon, amidst the rasping minus one tape of Christmas songs, the curtains opened to reveal the extravaganza of the day, the Music teachers’ opus.

Prancing children dressed like elves held boughs and boughs of what looked like plastic leaves. They danced about the stage during the taped intro then stood still at their designated places to burst into their much practiced chorus:

Dick da holes with bosso Polly, Pa la la la la la la la la!

Isdasison to Jollibee. Pa la la la la la la la la!

Dochano da gay apartelle, Pa la la la la la la la la!

A blinding, white light. A great force upon her head.

Teacher Helen was puzzled. Did the stage collapse? Why were there so many people all of a sudden? And why were they screaming and hovering above her?

She heard the Science teacher say, Titser Helen, Titser Helen, ded you paint?

Then the Math Teacher said, Wooter pliss, someone git wooter!

Lay down, Lay down, the Principal was directing.

But just then, Teacher Helen no longer cared, and was thinking, you all make me funny.

She died with a smile on her face.

Brigada Eskwela and Adopt a School Program

PSDS Eddie Lumayag and PSDS Cecille Cartilla, (Secondary Schools Lead Principal Roger Banogbanog) Other principals and School heads, Lead Brigada Eskwela Coordinators, School Brigada and Adopt a School Program Coordinators for Elementary and High School… Teachers, and friends… Good morning!

Thank you for inviting me! For that, your lunch is free… J

My message today focuses on Strong School Governance…by encouraging you to partner with everyone who can help us in our schools.

Last August, a professor from the Department of Sociology of Ateneo de Manila, Dr. Emma Porio, came to Dalaguete to answer the question, “What is in Dalaguete that that makes her education work?”

Her research involved the cities and municipalities who partnered with the Synergeia Foundation. Our Elementary schools yielded commendable results which she shared in the National Education Summit on September 8 at Philippine International Convention Center…

Her Thesis was:

Empowering LSB, SGC, teachers, parents, and community partners through organization, meetings trainings, camps, and summits built the social capital

The Power of Community

We must learn to embrace the power and opportunities offered by decentralized and community-based educational leadership.

The need and demand has never been clearer. National educational failure remains one of the largest contributors to poverty, with about 44% of poor households being headed by individuals who did not finish elementary school. And the immediate future demands immediate action: for every 100 students who enter Grade 1, almost one-third (32 pupils) will drop out by Grade 6.

Making sure that children finish their primary education is a necessary step in ending the cycle of poverty, but this challenge is too big to be shouldered solely by individual schools and the Department of Education. A model that creates powerful and effective partnerships between local governments, schools, and communities is the key to success. We need to partner with people and institutions.

Today, we are having the Brigada Eskwela and Adopt a School Program of DepEd. These are important programs which can help us develop the partnership I am stressing out.

“To quote the late DILG Secretary and Naga City Mayor Jesse Robredo: ‘Kapag maraming may-ari ng problema, maraming tutulong.’ And this is what decentralizing education is all about—allowing the entire community to have the authority, responsibility, and resources to assure that our kids get the quality schooling they deserve. Stakeholders learn first hand what the educational challenges are and they work together to solve them.”

In one of the breakout sessions during the National Education Summit last September 7-9, The discussion on Public-Private Sector Partnerships in Education with our panelists from SEAOIL, Hyundai, Dept. of Finance, and DepEd were asked, “When do private partners respond to letters asking for donations?”

Their answers are:

-      The term donation is a passe (Old-Fashioned/obsolete).

-      We are not dole out machines. Asking a few chairs or one laptop, does not appeal to us.

-      We want to be the school’s strategic partner through and through. We want to share your purpose.

-      We choose schools who show us what their plans are, and how we can complement their efforts in a long term basis.

-      The letters should be short, and it should give the desired outcome clearly.

 

WHEN YOU WANT TO ENGAGE IN A PPPs through the Brigada Eskwela and Adopt a School, you need to…

u  List down private institutions/individuals who have/will help/ed the school (donations, feeding, etc)

u  Document partnership through MOU/MOA (Parties, Name of Project, Terms of Reference, Effectivity/Time Frame, and Signatories)

u  Documenting PPPs is:

ü  To serve as proof of partnership existence

ü  To ensure fulfillment of promises

ü  To fill the gap of verbal or handshake agreement

ü  To be assured of formality

ü  To help the private partner to claim tax incentives

My dear friends, Education is everyone’s responsibility… It takes a village to educate a child.. If we could successfully encourage, establish, and develop ties with education partners, we would reach our dream of ensuring that the next generation who are to replace us, are better than us.

Thank you, and good morning once again.