SCHOLARSHIP CASH ASSISTANCE. About 5,593 senior and college students from different schools in Borongan City received P1,500 each as their financial assistance as scholars of the city government on Friday(July 7). (PHOTO COURTESY)
TACLOBAN CITY – The city government of Borongan distributed cash assistance to government scholars under its ‘Direkta Ayuda program.’
SCHOLARSHIP CASH ASSISTANCE. About 5,593 senior and college students from different schools in Borongan City received P1,500 each as their financial assistance as scholars of the city government on Friday(July 7). (PHOTO COURTESY)
Each of the 5, 593 senior high school and college student beneficiaries of the program received P1,500 cash allowance from the city government on Friday(July 7).
Students who received the allowance were students of Lalawigan National High School, Our Lady of Mercy College, San Jose National High School, Calingatngan National High School, MSH Sisters Academy, Seminario de Jesus Nazareno, Benowangan National High School, Saint Mary’s College of Borongan, Eastern Samar National Comprehensive High School, and Eastern Samar State University.
The city allowance is also available for college students from the city who are studying elsewhere.
Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda, during the pay-out, reminded the students to focus and prioritize their studies and be responsible residents of their city.
Direkta Ayuda is a program providing cash allowance to eligible senior high school and college students by virtue of City Ordinance No. 241. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
TACLOBAN CITY – Tanauan Mayor Gina Merilo is thankful to businessmen operating in her municipality for their contributions to the local economy which provides jobs to residents and income to the local government.
Mayor Merilo said that their town is recovering from the negative impacts of the pandemic caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) saying they are seeing an increase in their local revenue.
Merilo said that from the P25.28 million local income covering July 2021 to June 2022, it increased to P32.77 million from July 2022 to June 2023, or an increase of 30 percent.
“I would like to express my profound gratitude to our taxpayers who diligently pay and I would like to encourage others to pay their taxes on time so as to make us continue to deliver the required municipal services,” the town mayor said.
To ease the process of business permit application and in paying of taxes, the local government is implementing the digitalization of business permit and licensing system which is now at 70 percent.
The town recently received three computer units from the Department of Information and Communication Technology for the purpose of digitalization of its transactions.
“With digitalization, application for a business permit can be done even at home and payment of fees may be done online thru GCash and Palawanpay,” Merilo said.
The town mayor added that at least 350 small and big businesses started operating in the municipality during her first year of office, helping the LGU to generate more income and provide job opportunities not only to Tanauan residents but even to jobseekers from other towns.
Tanauan Public Employment Information System Office Manager Michael Muzones confirms this saying that they are encouraging investors who are opening their businesses in the municipality to prioritize the locals when hiring employees.
Muzones said that his office has coordinated with the management of big businesses that opens a branch in Tanauan to hire local workers.
Last year, about 300 town residents were hired by the investors. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Mother Tongue-Based, Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) has been implemented in various countries as a means of providing education in children’s native languages. While it undoubtedly has its benefits, there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that removing MTB-MLE and transitioning to English as the primary language of instruction can yield significant benefits in terms of children’s English reading proficiency.
Removing MTB-MLE could pave the way for an intensified focus on English reading skills development in children. English serves as a global language of communication, commerce, and education, providing individuals with invaluable opportunities for personal growth and professional success in a globalized world. By immersing children in a predominantly English-speaking environment at an early age, they have a higher chance of achieving greater fluency, vocabulary acquisition, and overall proficiency in English, leading to improved comprehension and advanced analytical skills.
Transitioning away from MTB-MLE towards English as the medium of instruction can potentially open up a myriad of educational opportunities. English-language educational materials, academic resources, and global knowledge are predominantly available in English, and removing MTB-MLE can help bridge the gap in accessing these resources.
Moreover, with the ease of communication through the English language, children can better integrate into multicultural societies and exchange ideas across diverse communities, fostering a sense of global consciousness and facilitating cross-cultural understanding.
Reading in English from an early age can positively impact children’s cognitive development and critical thinking abilities. Learning a new language challenges the brain and stimulates neural connections, strengthening memory, problem-solving skills, and overall cognitive flexibility. As children engage with challenging English texts, they develop advanced analytical skills, effectively enhancing their comprehension, interpretation, and critical evaluation capacities – traits vital for success in higher education and professional life.
English literacy resources encompass a vast array of high-quality content, ranging from classic literature, scientific literature, and cutting-edge research publications to digital platforms promoting innovative approaches to education. By removing MTB-MLE and allowing children to read in English, they gain access to an extensive range of educational materials, expanding their knowledge horizons, and fostering a love for learning. This exposure to diverse literature and engaging materials can contribute to the development of well-rounded individuals with a broad perspective on various subject matters.
While MTB-MLE has its own merits, the potential advantages of transitioning to English as the primary language of instruction are undeniable, ranging from enhanced English language skills development and educational opportunities to improved cognitive development and access to quality literacy resources. The removal of MTB-MLE can lay a strong foundation for children to excel academically, foster cross-cultural integration, and equip them with critical thinking skills required to navigate an increasingly globalized world.
Transitioning away from MTB-MLE in favor of English as the primary language of instruction can significantly enhance children’s English reading proficiency and subsequent intellectual growth.
Life is an intricate dance, a constant struggle for survival that we all partake in. It bears a striking resemblance to the plight of prey in the wild. In this metaphorical wilderness, humans navigate through treacherous terrain, evading predators, seeking sustenance, and striving to propagate their genes. This comparison between life and being prey is a poignant reminder of the challenges we face and the strategies employed to thrive in our complex world.
Similar to prey in the wild, humans are born with an innate sense of vulnerability. We come into this world defenseless and reliant on the care of others. As we grow, we develop the necessary skills to ward off predators and face the challenges that life throws our way. Just as prey must constantly stay vigilant and aware of their surroundings, humans must cultivate their intelligence and comprehension to navigate the complexities of the modern world with precision and adaptability.
In the wild, prey species must possess a keen sense of intelligence to survive. Similarly, humans rely heavily on their intellect and comprehension to overcome the obstacles that life presents. We are constantly faced with a barrage of decisions, from choosing a career path to making important personal choices. Through the acquisition of knowledge, critical thinking, and analytical skills, people should develop the tools necessary to make informed decisions, enabling them to outsmart the metaphorical predators of life.
Crucially, survival in the wild requires a thorough understanding of the intricate web of relationships between species. Similarly, comprehension is key in navigating the complex social dynamics of human existence. People with advanced levels of intelligence and comprehension are well-equipped to decipher the nuances of human interactions. This understanding allows them to form alliances, collaborate effectively, and adapt to diverse environments, ensuring their own survival and prosperity.
In the wild, prey species often exhibit various defensive mechanisms to evade predators. Humans, too, employ a similar strategy in safeguarding their wellbeing. People should become meticulous researchers, arming themselves with knowledge and expertise in their chosen fields. Through extensive study and critical analysis, they should build a figurative “armor” of information, protecting their ideas, thoughts, and future aspirations from being easily ravaged by the intellectual predators they encounter.
Furthermore, just as prey species evolve over time to better adapt to their environment, humans must continually adapt and evolve throughout their lives. People should epitomize this concept by constantly pushing the boundaries of their knowledge and skill sets. Their intelligence and comprehension should enable them to embrace new ideas, challenge existing paradigms, and develop innovative solutions to the problems they encounter. It is through this perpetual growth and adaptation that they can effectively navigate the ever-changing landscape of life.
While being prey in the wild implies a perpetual struggle for survival, it also embodies the innate beauty and resilience of life. Just as prey species often develop breathtaking physical adaptations to better survive, humans, too, possess an undeniable beauty in their capacity for creativity and the pursuit of knowledge. Those who take time to study are a testament to this, as they harness their intelligence and comprehension to delve deep into their chosen fields, expand the boundaries of human knowledge, and contribute to the collective growth and understanding of our species.
Life’s similarities to being prey in the wild are undeniable. The constant struggle for survival, the need for intelligence and comprehension, and the ability to adapt and evolve all resonate with the complex journey we embark on as humans. Using our intellect and comprehension, we should embody the qualities needed to navigate this metaphorical wilderness. We should not only survive, but also flourish, leaving an indelible mark on the world around us.
IN the gospel, there is a part where Christ drove out the demons from a possessed man but was accused by some leading Jews of driving out demons by the prince of demons, an obviously self-contradicting reasoning. (cfr. Mt 9,32-38)
On this occasion, Christ did not waste time defending himself. He proceeded instead to go around all the towns and villages, teaching in the synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness.
This should also be our reaction when we encounter some contradictions in our efforts to do some good. We should just proceed to do a lot more of good. Let those who misunderstand us bear their own misunderstanding. Of course, if we have some time, we may do some gentle and charitable clarification or correction. But we should not lose sight of what is most important for us to do.
In the same gospel, it is said that when Christ saw the big crowd to be given attention to, he was moved with pity because he saw them like being troubled and abandoned, like a sheep without a shepherd.
That’s when he made this appeal to his disciples to “ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest,” because as he said, “the harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.”
Indeed, this is always the situation in our earthly life. It’s a big and continuing challenge. There are endless people to reach out to bring Christ to them, and those who have to do that very important task will always be few and limited.
We just have to realize that everyone of us, if we are to be consistently faithful to our Christian identity, is called to carry out this task. Thus, we have to realize more deeply that all of us actually have a vocation, since all are called to share in Christ’s mission to save all men.
We should all be concerned about this matter. We need to develop a sense of vocation, for the simple reason that everyone has a vocation. We come from God and we belong to him. He always calls us to himself and offers us a way to go to him.
The way to go to him, peculiar to each one of us given our different situations in life and God’s specific plan for us, is the vocation God gives us. We therefore should try to discover that vocation as early as possible and correspond to it as fully as possible also.
To be sure, no one comes to existence by mere accident nor by pure chance and divine caprice. God does not create us at random. Even a person who is considered unwanted by his parents or is conceived through rape is already a person planned and loved by God from all eternity. This is a fundamental truth about ourselves that we should never take for granted.
Thus, we should try to develop this sense of vocation as early as possible. And this can mean as early as when one is still a child, already beginning to be aware of what and who he or she is. This normally should start in the family, with the parents playing a major role in this affair since they are our first teachers here on earth.
The parents should be quick in sowing the seeds of this sense of vocation by making the child aware that he or she just did not come from them but from God. And that he or she also belongs to God. This basic truth should always be reinforced all throughout the process of bringing up and educating the child.
The riding public had been silently suffering from unjust fares that public transportation companies impose, in most cases without conducting the requisite public consultation. The fares are fixed by government regulatory agencies on the bases of fuel cost that varies with so many parameters, chief of them the foreign exchange that could hardly be understood by the hapless passenger. Such varying fuel prices are always to the detriment of the riding public who suffer from unfair fares that are adjusted on the upscale but are never reduced when fuel prices decrease.
Transportation operators could easily find flimsy justifications just to quell the outcry of the riding public demanding fare reduction. The factors to defend fare reduction are aplenty such as operating costs, wages of crew manning the vehicle and many other reasons just to outweigh the demand for fare reduction. The defense is made effective by strong lobby that transport operators employ to persuade policymakers that they would be at a great loss if fare rates are reduced. Such threat aims to condition the public mind that their loss would result in transportation crisis as they will be forced to reduce or even stop operations.
The situation is always in favor of transport operators who are organized and could show that their force to influence policymakers and defeat the outcry of the riding public. On the other hand, the riding public are a ragtag bunch of individuals complaining on their plight. comments to alellema@yahoo.com
