Change : It Starts With Me

            Everything has a change. If you want a change you must first start it with ourselves.
            ONE particular saying that has always struck me as unintelligent is, “People don’t change.” I believe that although each individual has deep-rooted personality traits, we are not held captive by them. Believing that we can’t change encourages us to accept our weaknesses. Countless people with substance problems declare they aren’t capable of quitting. But then it is much easier to continue a harmful behavior when accountability is placed on an outside force like genetics or an “addictive personality”.
            When we say people can’t change it is analogous to saying people can’t learn. I have read that when you learn something new, that knowledge fundamentally changes you. Each fragment of information adds to your personal database, creating additional resources to draw on when interacting with the outside world. We face the same temptations to take on negative behavior, but we also build a body of experience that tells us the reward isn’t worth the penalty. Comparing ourselves today from ourselves a few years ago, we can observe that we are the same but more.
            Truth is that individual and organizations can change but choose not to. Reason is change hurts. It makes people insecure, confused and angry. People want things to be the same as they’ve always been. They hate to relinquish an old training or philosophy for a new way of thinking. They want to do things the way they are accustomed to because that makes life easier. But if you are a leader, you can’t let your people hang on to the past. Leadership is ultimately about changing people’s behavior.

Kannawidan : The Ylocos Festival

           Ilocos Sur has a rich heritage and unique culture. However,  it is observed that many of these traditions, songs, dances and other Ilocano culture are no longer familiar with the younger generations. Children of today prefer the modern and novelty dances they see on television shows than the traditional ones.
There is a need to preserve our rich heritage and unique culture. With this in mind, the provincial government of Ilocos Sur has conceived a festival that highlights these culture and traditions and attract local and foreign tourists as well. Dubbed the Kannawidan Ylocos Festival, it is also a commemoration of the anniversary of Ilocos Sur as a province.
                On January 29, Kannawidan Ylocos opened with a celebrated mass held at the St. Paul Metropolitan Cathedral followed by a procession of the patron saints of the 40 parishes as well as images of Jesus Christ and Virgin Mary around the province’s capital city, a testament to the deep rooted religiosity of the Ilocanos.               Residents and even the local and foreign tourists partook of a delicious dinner held at the Plaza Salcedo after the procession. The big crowd enjoyed the fireworks display after the meal.
The Bayanihan Dance Company regaled the Ilocanos with their world class performance showcasing the beauty of the Philippines through dances, music and sounds. The audience lapped up their graceful movements and excellent rendition of songs and dexterity in playing indigenous musical instruments.

Keeping in Mind our mother Tounge

                   Today we are all witnessing an aspect of globalization which is the increasing movement of people from one country to another for different purposes, such as education, desire for a better life, the need for employment, escape from conflicts between groups including oppression of one group by another, or natural disasters. Whatever the reason, while such phenomenon may have a lot of benefits, living in another country affects one’s mother tongue. In my article I want to discuss why parents and educators should support children learning and retaining their native language. As a parent living far from my native country I have often experienced the fear that my children would not learn their mother language well. As an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher I have strongly encouraged my ESL students to develop literacy in their mother tongue and to take pride in their culture and the country they originated in.
                 Every language spoken in the world represents a special culture, melody, color, and asset and to everyone the mother language is certainly one of the most precious treasures in our lives. It’s a duty and responsibility to preserve it and pass it down from generation to generation. Whether we are urged by necessity or because of other reasons, learning another language brings a lot of advantages in our life. A new language opens a new window in our world view and makes us more aware, open-minded, and respectful to other cultures, lifestyles, customs and beliefs. Moreover, knowing another language has been proven to contribute to helping us understand our mother tongue better. However, much research indicates that most children eventually learn a second, or even more, languages to a native-like fluency level, what immigrant families are not often aware of is that many of their children are at risk of losing their mother tongue.

Equal Rights Equal Opportunity

  
                 The theme for International Women's Day this year: "Equal rights, equal opportunities: Progress for all" re-emphasizes that equal rights and opportunities lead to improved health outcomes for women and girls.
Discrimination towards women and girls, or what is known as gender-based discrimination, is one of the most pervasive human rights violations. It severely limits the ability of women, girls and the communities they live in to protect and promote their health.
                 
                  Gender-based discrimination is irrevocably connected to negative health outcomes for women and girls. Its associated poor health outcomes are often compounded by other forms of inequality related to socioeconomic status, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religious affiliation or geographical location. While these challenges are imposing, and often encoded in "normalized" ways of living, International Women's Day renews our commitment to denounce violations in human rights and to challenge unequal systems, structures and practices that perpetuate health inequalities across the world.
Gender equality is good for health.

Responding to Climate Change

                    Climate change exemplifies this conundrum. In many respects, the regulatory, market and technological environment for companies to plan their climate change responses is uncertain. In other respects, there are clear signals, not least with regard to the overall direction of travel towards cleaner energy and the imperatives of many national policy requirements. What we do know is that waiting for greater clarity from our politicians and policymakers will only mean letting your competitors get ahead of you, if they are not already.

WANTED CHANGE!!

            Philippine political system has been tagged to be corrupt and hopeless. Politics is unhealthy and rights are abused. Social justice seems to be a far away dream. And the observance of the law seems ruthless. 
            The youth is said to be the catalyst of change. It is said that the youth is the hope of changing and bringing an ideal system. But how exactly can the youth change the present system when he is sorrounded by a corrupt system? How can he do it when not all can study and get themselves involved in worthy activities? How can he do his advocacies when his freedom are supressed?How can the youth fight the pain of a corrupt system and maintain his idealism for an ideal system? 

            I don't think it is necessary to change the culture of my beloved nation. What is necessary is to change the system within itself. Politics must do a program to prevent these things. They must have a program for those people whose siblings can't go to school because their parents can't afford to pay for the payments in their school.. Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change themselves cannot change anything. As a YOUTH, we are warrior, we are in the middle of battlefield, a battle of corruption, injustices, inequality, and business monopolize system we must find the right armor and indestructible shield to succeed. We must wake up and not live by the dreams, prove not only in our race that we can make a difference, it is very TRUE that we are the catalyst of change, and for me I am very aggressive in making this dream into reality. 

           We youth has a great role to play, and has to do its part. Why? Because the future belongs to us.

    

My Teacher My Hero

           A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. 
           In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional qualifications or credentials from a university or college. These professional qualifications may include the study of pedagogy, the science of teaching. Teachers, like other professionals, may have to continue their education after they qualify, a process known as continuing professional development. Teachers may use a lesson plan to facilitate student learning, providing a course of study which is called the curriculum.
          Because of them, our knowledge is much wider now. I salute them for their amazing job. I salute them for sharing a part of their knowledge to us. They are also our second parents ..:)) So we must keep in saluting them for their wonderful job... :))