Revisiting Century-old Hinigaran Bells

by Gil Camporazo

Local Philippine history history unfolds as I  revisited the century-old bells in St. Mary Magdalene Church in Hinigaran, Negros Occidental on Christmas Day, December 25 when I was invited to attend the christening of 13-month old Czian Brylle A. Tuala, the youngest son of my teacher in the said Church.

Hinigaran Bell 1867

I could imagine how the Hinigaranon (local resident of Hinigaran) especially those who have survived today or their posterity the importance and the value those five bells which are no longer in used. They're now hanged in concrete frame placed outside the convent at the left side of the church. It's purposely placed there on a "tower" for tourist attraction and public viewing as to recollect the remote past history of the said bells and how they served the church for more than a century in the Spanish era.

Balik-Tanaw to Cainaman Elem. School

by Gil Camporazo

A retrospect (balik-tanaw) to Cainaman Elementary School on how it grows after 50 years. It's a golden era for CES so to speak then.

Cainaman Elementary School, Division of La Carlota City

It pays to spend a time at the Cainaman Elementary School to join with its 3-part activities as it celebrates its 50th founding day recently. It was indeed a great day for I was able to meet with my previous pupils like Rolando Columna, Raymon Barcenas and Ronelo Moncada.

I would say that this is the Golden Era of Cainaman Elem. School.It is an era of experiences of the good, the bad and the ugly. It is an era of recollections among the pupils, the teachers, the school heads, the parents and the alumni for the best of times they have had for such 50 long memorable years.

It is also an era of acknowledgment of those who had never counted the cost of their efforts and labor which had brought the school in her present state of success and above all, it is an era of adoraton of God's goodness and blessings in which the school was able to overcome any form of trials and tribulations.

Why City of La Carlota Glitters Every Night?

by Gil Camporazo

It is now a tradition among the residents of La Carlota City to illuminate their plaza with Christmas lights every Yuletide seasons with a nightly Christmas presentation from different groups of the community including the religious and education institutions.

One of nightly presentations

Every growing tree inside the city plaza is decorated with firefly bulbs to light them every night.

This is a yearly activity of the city to usher the coming forth of the birth of Jesus Christ. It is usually done every 15th day of December leading to the following early morning mass officiated by the Catholic priest. This is traditionally known by Filipino as "misa de aguinaldo" or "misa de gallo".

23-Month-Old Sophie Reads a Book

by Gil Camporazo

In one evening as I was busy updating my various blogs for a written articles, I noticed my two granddaughters who were playing in our visitor's lounge. The older one was singing her favorite song while the cute younger one was attentively watching and listening her.

Moment later, the older stopped singing, grabbed a big book and started reading. The kid took a small book and pretended to be reading it. She's too curious to know how to read. Her interest in reading is great and she wants to do what her cousin is doing too.

I was referring to Inday Sophie who is 1-year-old-and-11-month old has joined with her first cousin, Adgel Camporazo-Tolones, 11-year old and a grade V pupil in reading a book.

How To Print School Building Inventory Pages

by Gil Camporazo

All public elementary and secondary school buildings are required to be properly accounted an inventory being scheduled. It had already started and it should be encoded online to the respective school's EBEIS account on or before December 12, 2014.

Most of the schools concerned would like to have their own printed copy directly from the site. Since there's no feature or button for printing, this tutorial is created to assist their printing needs.

To all school physical facilities coordinators, property custodians, ICT coordinators, feel free to familiarize with this simple printing tutorial.

Listening Is Reading in Disguise

by Gil Camporazo

As the pupils listen to the stories read to them, their desire and love to read develops. And this could be possible. This had happened in the school children of Balabag Elementary School in La Carlota City Division in their recent reading activity. Not only the pupils enjoyed reading, but the storytellers did too in the said reading day.

Storyteller Ernalyn C. Aguinda

Every November, the Department of Education (DepEd) has observed as the National Reading Month to support the Ten-Point Agenda of the Aquino Administration and to commemorate the birth anniversary of the late Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. who was born on November 27, 1932, and to celebrate his ardent desire for reading, according to the Regional Memorandum No. 167, s. 2014 disseminated by John Arrnold S. Siena, Director III, Officer-in-Charge of the Office of the Regional 6 Director.

In compliance, the Balabag Elementary School, Division of La Carlota City conducted a reading session for its pupils during their recess period, though, it was late on the scheduled day, November 27 due to the heavy rains brought by a Tropical Depression "Queenie" which affected the Southern part of Visayas.

At 63, Am I Old Enough for Scouting?

by Gil Camporazo

TL Malihan and me

I am recalling my unforgettable experiences when I attended the recent 5-day 75th Diamond Jubilee Jamborette of Negros Occidental Council of Boy Scout of the Philippines held at the Gawahon Eco-Park, Victorias City, Negros Occidental, Philippines.

More than 6,000 boy scouts and troop leaders were registered attending. They came from all Boy Scout councils all over the towns and cities of Negros Occidental.

A day before the formal opening of the jamborette, the camp site was heavily soaked by a whole day downpour, making the place muddy, slippery and not conducive for outdoor camping especially for the kids and for the inexperience.

However, in any scouting activities especially outdoor camping, it is not complete without rain. Veteran scouters, scouts are already used to that kind of inconveniences. Whatever matters, they've to survive. That’s the life of a true-blooded scout.

2014 Area IV Meet: One in Purpose, Spirit, Determination

by Gil Camporazo

All roads lead to a costal town of Pulupandan which hosts the 3-day athletic meet in the 4th congressional district of Negros Occidental. Pulupandan is one of the 19 municipalities in the Province of Negros Occidental in Region VI, Western Visayas, Philippines. Pulupandan's name originated from a local dialect, Hiligaynon phrase "Pulo sang Pandan", that is, "isle of pandan".

Area IV Athletic Meet 2014

In an-hour rites, Pulupandan Mayor Miguel C. Peña welcomes the athletic delegations coming from Pontevedra, San Enrique, Valladolid, La Carlota, Bago and including the host, Pulupandan athletes in this year 2014 meet held at the oval of the public plaza.

In a statement, Peña said that sports activities are an important aspect of education in order to produce well-rounded student. He further said that event's purpose is to foster goodwill, friendship, and sportsmanship between the competing students and schools.

Pontevedra Mayor Jose Maria A. Alonso, in a statement too, said that teem building is practised to its fullest and each participant feels being a part of the whole. He continued that the area meet indeed develops the participants to be themselves and also be member of their teams striving for self-identity and recognition.

Why I Love Scouting?

by Gil Camporazo

"I love scouting. I love scouting. Hail. I love scouting all the way." There goes the community singing led by Institutional Head (IH) Alejandro Ticao, Scout Course Leader and at the same time the Scout Field Commissioner of the Division of La Carlota as the 3rd Patrol Leader Training Course (PLTC) and Crew Leader Training Course (CLTC) in its opening ceremony.

BSP Logo

As one of the members of the support staff and discussants, it starts refreshing my 54 years in scouting. It reverberates in mind the scouting ideals, oath and law, its history, its founder, its role in character and nation building.

And it also freshens my unforgettable experiences in various scouting activities like outdoor camping, hiking, orienteering, stargazing, knot tying, cooking without utensil, putting up of the tent, and scouting games, songs and yells.

My elementary scouting days and how my mother permitted me to participate in my first out-of-town outdoor camping as far as Cadiz City in the north, noted as city of whales and as far as Himamaylan in the south, and as far as Alibunan, Calinog, Iloilo Province in Panay Island, across Guimaras Strait. And the farthest place in the country which I attended as far as national scouting jamboree is concerned was in Subic, Pampanga in Luzon.

The Child Well-being Is Everyone's Business

by Gil Camporazo

Have you read the African literature that it takes the whole community to educate the child? And providing the child his education is one of his inalienable rights. To fully cater to the holistic development of the child, his nature should seriously be taken into account.

In my practical point of view as asked by the first trainor, Mam Castro of Doña Hortencia Salas Benedicto National High School (DHSBNHS), Balabag Extension, I have defined child's traits through an acrostic like C for curious, H for humble, I for inquisitive, L for loving, and D for desirous to know more, an endless crave for knowledge.

There are situations, events, incidents in the life of the child that his rights are not respected, are not observed instead they're withheld and even curtailed. They're even maltreated, abused, exploited. That is why to address this malpractices of parents, relatives, and even teachers who handle them during class hours, there measures may include proper information dissemination, training for the parents, and community-sharing responsibility.

Drumbeating with Kids

by Gil Camporazo

My new school assignment, Balabag Elementary School annually is participating in Pasalamat Festival of La Carlota City, a week-long thanksgiving occasion for a bounty harvest of the city. There are a lot of merry-making activities and competition. One of the highlights of the said festivity is a rhythm contest of the official samba beat created by the late City Mayor Luis "Nonoy" Jalandoni.

This rhythm contest is categorized into two, the adult and the kid. The adult is representing their own barangay, while the kid is representing their school and our pupils are one of them. They call themselves as Tribu Mahogany.

La Carlota Division Bids to CSC Meritocracy

by Gil Camporazo

The small Division of La Carlota has submitted herself for Civil Service Commission (CSC) accreditation under the Program to Institutionalize Meritocracy and Excellence in Human Resource Management (PRIME-HRM) recently.

CSC Field Personnel Ramon Refugio, Jr. and Lucrecia Garces conducted the 2-day evaluation. Twenty-three school heads, 40 master teachers, and several non-teaching personnel were interviewed based on four sections of PRIME-HRM core areas.

PRIME-HRM looks into the assessment on human resource management practices and capabilities of agencies, service for best practices in the human resource management, promotion for exchange and development of expertise in the area of HRM between and among government agencies, empowerment of agencies, and promotion and reward for excellence on HRM practices, according to CSC Memorandum Circular No. 3, s, 2013, dated February 16, 2014.

How To Solve Non-display of EBEIS Side Bar

by Gil Camporazo

All public and private elementary and secondary schools and even state universities are required to submit online their statistics for processing and validation to improve the Enhanced Basic Education Information System (EBEIS) of the Department of Education (DepEd) for school year 2014-2015.

For the public elementary and secondary schools, the cut-off date for data collection, processing and validation is June 6, 2014.

Problem Encountered

Some schools have reported to the closed group of Learner Information System Helpdesk, School Forms Reenginerring Team (SFRT), and EBEIS Helpdesk that they couldn't effect their updating tasks which will be due on August 31 for encoding and submission, validation on September 1 - 12, 2014, the non-display of their EBEIS left side bar which displays the basic button like EBEIS Data Entry.

DepEd Teachers To Undergo Computer Hardware Servicing Training

Avelino N Santillan, La Carlota Division ICT coordinator informed this blogger that 38 computer-literate teachers will be trained on Computer Hardware Servicing NC II for 6 Saturdays.

Santillan

The training will commence on August 23, and will be completed on September 27, 2014 It will be held at the computer room of Dona Hortencia Salas Benedicto National High School, La Carlota City.

La Carlota SDS Portia M Mallorca has issued a Division Memorandum No 61, series 2014 to this effect It states there that the teacher-participants will be trained to develop a skill on computer hardware servicing.

These teachers who are entitled for this free training will be taken from 5 high schools, and 3 districts They're required to bring with them plier, Philip screw driver, crimping tools, tester, side-cutting plier, and computer hardware like desktop computer, with DVD/CD ROM, printer, and extension cord.

Geeree: Budding Trainer Animator To Watch

First Trainer's Training for Animation in the Division of La Carlota City was recently conducted for 5 days on animation for enhancing classroom teaching.

Thirty-five teachers including the Alternative Learning System (ALS) instructional managers (IMs) underwent the training handled by ICT teachers like Jeffrey Castel, Jr. and Karl Agreda of Dona Hortencia Salas Benedicto National High School.

Using their own laptop, the trainer-trainees have received hands-on activity from their instructors. The training was limited to the fundamental of Adobe Flash, Webpage and Animation.

Our youngest daughter, Geeree Camporazo, ALS IM was one of the two participants whose output on animation was chosen for actual presentation during the closing program. While presenting it to the big screen, she expounded the basic operation in making the walking man and woman coming from opposite direction with a lively music background  for several minutes of running-time.

Of His Return Suprises Us

Former Elder Mark Anthony C. Malig of Pampanga, Philippines as one of those faithful members of the Church, surprised us tonight for his return after serving us here a full-time missionary for three months sometime in November, December and January in 2008.

La Carlota was his last year after completing his 2-year mission here in Region VI, Western Visayas.

Tony Malig how he was regarded by his companion missionaries before is worth remembering not only as a well-esteemed by his fellow missionary and the saints (members) of the Church but many more. It seems yesterday that we were together in attending our Sunday services. It seems yesterday that my youngest son, Gilbor Junior, was his regular ward missionary companion every time they're visiting members, doing some proselyting and teaching referrals and "investigators" of the Church.

How To Beat The Summer Heat Affordably

This summer, we found out more interesting, enjoying and fun in spending our family outing in Linaw Bubon[g] in Sabado de Gloria, a day after the Holy Friday somewhere in the mountain in our locality.

Linaw Bubong, Brgy. San Miguel, La Carlota City

Our Lady's Garden, Perfect Place To Meditate

Finding a place to prayerfully communicate with Our Lady of Peace, everyone may find Our Lady's Garden in small city of La Carlota, Negros Occidental, PH.

Our Lady of Peace Grotto

Whether you are a Catholic faithfuls or not you may find yourselves in complete communion with Our Lady of Peace in a perfect garden made for the purpose wherein a small cave was made or a grotto.

In a small area at the back of the Catholic Church in La Carlota City, Our Lady's Garden is situated. It was blessed sometime in February 2014.

A replica of a big Rosary which beads are made of ceramic tiles, is mounted on the ground and is leading to the huge Grotto of Our Lady of Peace. At the center of te said Rosary is a clear water pond.

Upon entering the gate, a wishing well is easily seen to welcome the religious visitors and even non-Catholics to view this miraculous Blessed Virgin Mary.