Pamaskwa Para sa Munting Tinig ng Banwa

The Y-Crusaders

A group consisting of young professionals, organized after the Yolanda tragedy that devastated the Philippines last November 2013. The group’s call of duty was to turn the tides of hopelessness through charitable and empowerment works, with the motto: “With sympathy we comfort, with charity we save!” The group generates funds through sponsorships and donations from concerned people, where the group is recognized as the liaison between the donors and the beneficiaries. The group, with roughly 6 members, have successfully done relief operations in Concepcion(Iloilo) and Pan-ay(Capiz) with more than 200 families reached. The Y-Crusaders will keep on working to spread and empower humanity through little works of goodness and charity.

Planning

Last Dec. 26, 2013, the Y-Crusaders, a group of young individuals who teamed up together to answer the call of humanity after the Yolanda tragedy, organized a Christmas gift giving event for the kids of Calaparan, Iloilo City. Brgy. Calaparan, is ranked as the 3rd barangay with the most poorest of the poor families as surveyed under the NHTS-PR (National Household Targeting System – Poverty Reduction) of the DSWD in Iloilo City. With a population of more than 300 households under the NHTS-PR, the team selected this barangay and focused on the less fortunate kids aged 5-10yrs.old.

The plan was to make the Christmas season merry for the kids, specifically 150 kids, though a short program with a duration of 2hrs. which consists of fun games, cool entertainment, yummy foods and plenty of goodies. The event took place at the Marian Hall of Calumpang Parish Church due to the abundant space, ease of peace and order, and the accessibility of important resources such as manpower and materials.

Program Flow:

I. Registration

II. Doxology

III. Singing of the National Anthem

IV. Opening Remarks

V. Games

1. Trip to Jerusalem (musical chairs)

1. Give Me What I Want
2. Longest Line

1. Longest Breath
2. Paper Dance
3. Statue Dance

VI. Snacks with Entertainment – Singing, Live band, Dance

VII. Gift Giving

VIII. Closing Remarks

Organizing

The team came up with certain committees for efficiency and effectiveness.

Planning – responsible for the leading and monitoring, making sure that things are going as planned.

Communication – responsible for the coordination and courtesy calls of participants, significant agencies, units, organizations, sponsors and donors.

Logistics – responsible for the facilities, supplies and transportation.

Information Technology – responsible for all media and documentation.

Finance – responsible for the allocation, expenditure, budgeting and auditing of available funds.

Directing / Leading

Certain leadership and motivation styles were utilized since the start of the planning phase up to the end of the event. The most dominantly used was the Laissez-faire style of leadership because tasks done by the members really provided little or no direction at all. The members, themselves, had the initiative and creativity to do what should be done, given the limited time and resources. Members were mostly motivated through Abraham Maslow’s Need theory, as long as needs of the members are satisfied, like food and belongingness needs, they are motivated to do their tasks and have a positive outlook towards the outcome of the event.

Controlling

The type of control measure utilized by the team was the pre-actions control where before we made any move or actions, we made sure that there are already people who would man the certain task. The necessary human, material and financial resources have been budgeted. The team had to budget every resource as much as possible in order for plans to move forward, as planned.

Grievances

We had some problems during the registration phase because of some miscommunications and untoward incidences with the participants but the program went on as planned. During the event, some folks, due to lack of manpower for the peace and order, took advantage of the whole situation by intruding their unregistered children. Because of this, 17 children lining up to get giveaways were not able get some. Thus, the team had to list down their names so that they’ll be catered after the event.

Recommendations

1. It is highly recommended to know first the number of committed people for the overall event.
2. Regardless of funds, whether big or small, proper planning on how to effectively make use of it is a major concern. Each committee must have it’s allocated budget.
3. Maximize available resources as much as possible. Only buy, if necessary in order to save.
4. Each committee should work according to its function.
5. During the event, be early!
6. Registration must be 30min.-1hr. Before the proposed time of event.
7. In choosing participants, don’t rely on one agency, sometimes you have to do the surveying yourself, if necessary.
8. In preparing stuff for participants, always make sure to prepare an additional 30% in case of abrupt addition of participants or intruders. It can’t be helped, so it’s better to just prepare to avoid drama afterwards.
9. It’s important to make sure that the venue is well barricaded to avoid intruders from entering or anyone that would endanger the peace and smooth flow of the event.
10. Evaluate the whole activity with your team!

Overall

The whole program went well. There were minimal complaints but “all is well.” The kids had an awesome time, and the team were tired yet totally satisfied. After the event, there were some remaining foods left for the team to feast on. At the end of the day, it was not about the time, money and effort wasted to make this event a success, but the smiles, joys and laughter present and witnessed throughout the activity.

God rest ye merry gentlemen!

This is a time when families, friends and loved ones would gather and celebrate the gift of togetherness and celebration as we remember once again the joyful event which was the birth of Jesus Christ.

Christmas, as most Christians call it, is little by little losing its essence. Today, its kinda more on the gifts, toys, and expensive decorations.

The spirit of Christmas is not about earthly possessions but mostly on the spiritual aspect wherein the gathering of souls enhances the very essence of human existence, and inner strength.

A little reminder, don’t think too much on the pricing of the gifts, but the effort and thought that were embedded in it. Ok?

Make it merry, make it awesome!

Job Hunting Moments

Looking a job? Need a job? In search for work? Wanna be hired? Get the job you want! Etc…etc…etc…

These are frequently the slogans you can see when you read the newspaper, search the world wide web, and see job ads. From so many multimedia , the world wide web is the most accessible and most updated place to search for a job or to post a job opening.

In the Philippines, almost millions of Filipinos are unemployed due to some reasons such as they can’t find the right place to start searching, requirements are hard to comply or there is job mismatch. Yet, there are still plenty of jobs that awaits every Filipino because everyone knows, even the foreigners, that Filipinos are trust-worthy and hard-working. Thus, here are some websites for the Filipino to start searching for his/her dream job:

• http://jobadsiloilo.com/
• http://www.jobstreet.com.ph/
• http://www.jobmarketonline.com/
• http://www.careerjet.ph/
• http://www.phil-job.net/
• http://www.workabroad.ph/

AWESOME ENDEAVORS!

Elegant Twist Creation

Elegant Twist Creation (ETC) is a local store of the Philippines that sells apparels and accessories suitable for teens, teens at heart and for the stylist dudes and dudettes. The brand name was established by two Filipino youths who are currently college students with a known school in the country.

These two young businesspeople are rich in inspirational histories and tales about their endeavors. Most of which are on how they battled through life, its hardships and sorrows, up to the point of brainstorming and putting into reality a great opportunity to self-sufficiently support their schooling and other financial dilemmas.

Established fresh, this 2013, the store can be located at Luna St., Lapaz, Iloilo City, literally inside the “Laptop Specialist” store. Merchandises in-store for potential customers are caps, necklaces (wood & acrylic), shoes, watches, shirts, bags and many more in the near future.

Promoted by Pilosopo Tamad because of the moral of their tale. The youth is the treasure of this country; if not nurtured and supported, our future will fail. It’s not a matter of leading the youth but a matter of inspiring them to be the leaders themselves. No one has the right to shatter dreams. Only the “despair” will do such act of treachery due to envy. Stop with the crab mentality and move forward for the good of all and for the betterment of the fatherland.

Add them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/etcreation

Support your local brands and be proud of being a Filipino!

Awesome Endeavors!

School Nurse: Liaison of School Healthcare

What is?

The school nurse is considered as the leader in the school community to foresee school health programs, policies and activities. The school nurse serves in a pivotal role to promote expertise and oversight for the program of school health services and promotion of health education.Strengthening and facilitating the educational process are done through improvement and protection of students’ health statuses.

Relevance to History

The history and importance of school nursing was recorded in Oct. 1, 1902, in the United States, when Lina Rogers, the first school nurse, was hired to reduce absenteeism by interveining with students and families regarding health care needs related to communicable diseases. After a month of successful nursing interventions in the New York City schools, evidence-based nursing care made a positive remark across the city. Since then, the school nurse’s role has expanded greatly from its original focus yet the essence and goals of the practice remains intact.

Need of the School

A student’s ability to learn depends directly on his/her health status. The educational process is hindered once a student’s health needs are unmet. The school nurse supports student success by providing healthcare through assessment, intervention and follow-up for all students within the school setting. Addressing the physical, mental, emotional and social health needs of students and supporting their achievement in the learning process are all tasks of the school nurse. The school nurse not only provides for the safety and care of students and staff but also addresses the need for integrating health solutions into the educational setting.

Roles and Functions

The school nurse works to:

• Facilitate normal development and positive student response to intervention.
• Provide leadership in promoting health and safety, including a healthy environment.
• Provide quality care and intervene with actual and potential health problems.
• Use clinical judgment in providing care management services.
• Actively collaborate with others t o build student and family capacity for adaption, self-management , self-advocacy, and learning.
• Provide additional roles as needed to meet needs of the school community.

Conclusion

The school nurse is indeed an important entity at school or in most organizations. Aside from teachers and guidance councilors, the school nurses are also the second parents of students who work to nurture the next generation of professionals and society’s bright future.

NLE June 2013 Result Is Near

New Filipino Nurses of the country, the moment of truth is near. You will be able to view the result at resultsnle.com.

Best Wishes!

I have already decided where I am heading, no paper will hold me back to greatness!

– Pilosopo Tamad

Honor: A Key in Honest Public Administration

People always discuss about accountability and ethics when in an argument about public administration or anything that concerns the government. Yet, often forget about the importance of “honor” in public service.

Honor is defined as moral integrity or the esteem accorded to virtue or talent. In Filipino language, it is known as “dangal”, “karangalan”, or “kapurihan”. Without honor, a person has no ethical directions and thus thinks little on being accountable for his actions. According to Shafritz, Russel, and Borick, they stated that:

“Honor comes before ethics because a person without honor has no moral compass and does not know which way to turn to be ethical.”

Honor, in ancient times, was an important characteristic that must be visible to a person if he wanted to involve himself in public affairs because those perceived to be honorable were considered as trustworthy in public operations. Today, the word “honor” or the adjective “honorable” is rarely used in real life. Honorable people can most often be seen or read about in novels or movies but rarely in today’s society. Are the present government officials truly trustworthy? Well, it may be true because the people, who have the power to put them in office, voted for them. Or, maybe everything is all due to power, money, and prestige?

There was once a story about Abraham Lincoln who walked miles through the snow to return a book by a promised date. His word to return the book on time gave the full faith of his whole self to keep commitments. This was truly an act of honor, because he lived up to his word. This is a very important issue when it comes to our modern politicians. Every election season, numerous promises are made. Like a child’s wish list to Santa Claus, that’s how much a modern day politician’s promises looks like. However, once they are in office, where are those promises? Gone with the wind like a child’s balloon.

All who work for the government understand that they have a moral obligation to the people they serve, public trust. Anyone who works for the government must be honorable, in principles, values, and importantly in words. Section 1 of Article XI of the 1987 Constitution provides that, “Public office is a public trust. Public officers and employees must at all times be accountable to the people, serve them with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty, and efficiency; act with patriotism and justice, and lead modest lives.”

References:

• New Websters’s Standard Dictionary Vol.1, Kimball Enterprise 2006. P.453
• Shafritz, J., Russel, E.W., and Borik, C. (2013): Introducing Public Administration, 8th ed. Pearson Education, USA.
• Section 1 of Article XI of the 1987 Constitution.

Isla Gigantes: Nature’s Amazing Creations

Iloilo is truly a rich destination to visit. NO! We are not talking about the internal revenue allotment or the fiscal standing of the province but the wealth in culture and folklore, natural resources and tourist destinations.

One of the not-so-widely known tourist destinations in the province is the “Isla Gigantes” which is located north of the province near Carles and Estancia. Isla Gigantes (Spanish term for “giant islands”) consists of many islands both privately and publicly owned.

The municipality of Carles is vigilant of the blooming tourism in the area thus they assure the travelling folks that more means of transportation will be provided, problems with electricity be solved, and the development and maintenance of the islands be strictly regarded.

When I was invited by my pal Dexter for a summer adventure with his family in Carles, I immediately said a booming “yes.” I prepared all my things straightaway because it was a shotgun invitation and I didn’t want to miss this valuable chance of a lifetime.

It takes an approximate amount of 2.5-3 hours worth of travel time from Iloilo City to Carles via private car but if via bus it can take more likely 3-hours. When we arrived at the Carles Port, immediately we loaded the ferry boat and made ourselves comfortable. Then we were off!

Our first stop was the well-known hidden salt water lagoon popularly known as “Tangke.” Watch out though since some rocks are slippery and pointy. You can hear birds chirping beautifully and there were also monkeys hiding in the shadows but alas they were too afraid to come down and be fed because of our noises. Swimming in the cool waters of the lagoon was a great experience and while floating and looking at big rock formations and the big blue sky, you can imagine how beautiful this planet really is especially with all its natural wonders and creations.

   

Our next stop was the Kabugaw Island. It is a small island with white sand, clear waters, and beautiful corals and pebbles. Photographers are able to take a full shot of the island once they climb the rocky formations up to its peak.

 

 

Next destination, we made a quick stop in Pasil Island where we witnessed a trail of sand. Ferry boats can drop off tourists from the end of the trail and let them walk the sandy path to the island.

Next, we made a stop at Atoneya Island where we were able to discover a cave that residents say may be a tunnel that leads to Pillar (an area in Capiz popularly known for its big statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary n top of a hill). We were not able to go deep inside the cave though because we didn’t have a tour guide to assist us.

Thereafter, we arrived at Granada Island. In the island, tourists can visit the lighthouse and another cave that is said to be a tunnel network to Negros Occidental. Being at the top of the lighthouse is breath-taking and inside the cave gives you goose bumps all over.

We were able to visit those islands in approximately 8 hours and we had our lunch and snacks inside the ferry boat while sailing. This strategy conserved a lot of precious time to be used for adventure time. I give my Isla Gigantes two thumbs up for the awesome scenery and amazing adventure. If I was only able to explore the caves then I would have given it 4 thumbs up (including my toes).

What Makes A Filipino: Values and Beliefs

A nation empowers itself depending on the beliefs, goals, ideals, aspirations, and values of its citizens. In order to achieve national unity and progress, it needs the full cooperation of its people. Values as a people and as a nation gives the identity that differentiates one race from the others. These values may improve or hinder development and progress but nonetheless, with unity of diversity, development and progress are achievable.

A Filipino holds strengths that most other nationalities admire but there are also weakness that makes him a laughing stock of its foreign neighbors.

STRENGTHS

1. Close Kinship – a Filipino considers family as an important social structure that they must love and care. Close family ties results to the family still being intact regardless that the children are old and with families of their own.
2. Respect for Elders – the use of “po” and “opo” in conversing or addressing older people is a sign of a Filipino’s respect for the elders. Filipinos do not send their elders to nursing homes because they still value the worth and presence of the elders at home.
3. Hospitality – the Filipino community are very warm and hospitable. They even give “pasalubong” (welcome gifts) and “pabaon” (farewell gifts) to guests. At times, they sacrifice their own comfort to accommodate their guests very well.
4. Strong Faith in God – their faith in God keeps them united to overcome all the problems and challenges of life.
5. Flexibility / Adaptability / Resiliency – the Filipinos have the trait to laugh at themselves and their misfortunes or failures. This is a coping mechanism to balance emotional stress and to boost the capacity to survive. They can smile in midst of problems and hardships. They can still crack jokes despite the stresses of their daily lives and during calamities. They are strong and cheerful people.
6. Ingenuity and Creativity – they are good inventors. They often improvise and make productive use of available resources.
7. Patience and Self-sacrifice – a remarkable quality of a Filipino is his capacity to endure difficulties and hardships. Maybe related to the long suffering they endured during the many colonization in Philippine history. They are patient enough to wait for their turn to be blessed with greener pastures as long as they do what is right and good.
8. Hard work and Industry – Filipinos are globally recognized for their excellent performance in any physical and technical tasks. Maybe visible due to the desire for economic security and advancement for one’s self and family.
9.  Fairness and Justice – they always show concern for the well-being of others. They uphold the humanity of all people and regard everyone with respect and empathy. They are keen on interpersonal relationships, their primary source of security and happiness.Fairness & Justice –> Equality –> Social Justice –> Development & Progress.
10. Readiness to Share and Help – they re always ready to lend a hand, not only in times of need (calamities or disasters) but also in festive occasions (“fiestas”, baptisms and weddings). The “bayanihan” spirit, or giving help without expecting something in return, of a Filipino is widely admired.

WEAKNESSES

1. “Bahala Na” – this is also synonymous to the phrase “Que sera sera” (Whatever will be, will be), or “Hakuna Matata” (No Worries). It leaves everything to chance or just let the circumstances take care of themselves, embracing luck over good reason.
2. “Ningas Kugon” – “kugon” is a kind of grass that burns easily when dry but extinguished easily as well. Like the cogon grass, Filipinos start things with great enthusiasm but at the first sign of difficulty, the enthusiasm is consumed as fast as it has ignited.
3. Colonial Mentality – Filipinos prefer foreign-made products instead of patronizing Philippine-made ones. This result to higher gains for foreign businessmen than local businessmen. Thus, it motivates Filipino businessmen to improve the quality of their products to make it more competitive against foreign ones.
4. “Mamaya Na” or “Bukas Na Lang” Habit – a poor habit, a sign of laziness, of leaving for a later time what can be done at the moment or today. Thus resulting to stacked workload to be done and then complain about it.
5. Crab Mentality – a troublesome trait evident in a Filipino where when one sees the progress of a comrade, the other becomes resentful rather than happy for the achievement. Rather than to praise, he would highlight everything negative about that person in an effort to bring him down or destroy his reputation. They would focus on other’s own faults rather their own inadequacies.
6. “Patigasan” – most Filipinos find it hard to say “I’m sorry” or “pasensya na”. Their precious pride always gets the best of them.
7. “Kanya kanya” – a trait which shows self-centeredness and lack of regard for others. There are Filipinos who give priority to what they and their families could have, rather than what they can do to share their wealth and serve others better. This trait shows poor signs of patriotism, loyalty to community, and concern for the needs of others.

Passivity (submission to others or to outside influences)

1. Indebtedness “Utang Na Loob” – Filipinos are fond of asking for personal favors from others. It is ingrained for them to acknowledge the person who had helped them in times of need. This is a good act but if forced to repay with something bad to show gratitude then it becomes a problem. “Utang na loob” must not be paid with unlawful acts.
2. Interpersonal Relationships “Pakikisama” – every person wants to belong to a group where they can share ideas, jokes and feelings but sometimes it becomes a negative thing when the group is the one that influences the person to do unlawful or foolish things in order to belong or to gain approval. This is usually evident in the Filipino youth where peer pressure challenges someone’s morality.
3. Lack of Self-confidence “Hiya” – the Filipinos are shy to boast their achievements because they might be regarded as show-offs. They prefer to just hide those achievements and call the idea “being humble”. This is actually a sign of lack of self-confidence.

These characteristics are a challenge for every Filipino. In order to attain development and progress, they must value and prioritize their strengths rather than hide under the clutches of their weaknesses. Embracing the strengths and conquering their weaknesses will truly help the Filipino nation go forward in attaining its plans and aspirations for a richer and more fun Philippines where most foreign countries will be jealous of.

Reference: Fajardo J., Balagtas M., Belarde R., Flora A., Ubiña M., dela Cruz, S. (2013). Philippines’ Pride 6 (Ed). Manila, Philippines: Rex Book Store.

Exercising Your Right

I exercised my right to vote for those who I think (based on my freedom, knowledge and experience) are authentic public servants that will take extremely good care of my beloved country and the its people.

This is truly a small step for every citizen of the Philippines, and one giant leap for the whole Filipino Nation!

A means of change in the bureaucracy and the refreshment of new faces, ideas and labor for the next Asian Tiger of the continent.