Hodge Podge Column

Torn Between
By: Blessel Fe U. Guiral, T-I, San Antonio ES

The whole world is battling against Coronavirus disease for a year now. It has
been a challenging transition to everyone where today, all are longing to just experience
the old normal life again. But when will this pandemic ever end?
We can witness how optimistic Filipinos are responding to this new normal
setting. As time goes by, we are gradually become habituated to this situation where
concepts such as “lockdowns,” “face masks, face shields” and “social distancing” are
already part of our everyday language as the COVID-19 pandemic exists.
Over the past 12 months, the pandemic has harmed the poor and vulnerable the
most, and it is threatening to push millions more into poverty.
According to Nicanor Austriaco, American Molecular Biologist, “vaccine works by
using weakened or inactive parts of a virus to identify it and trigger an immune response
within the body. It is to contribute increase of immunity to a particular disease and trains
the body to fight the virus if you are later exposed to it”. For some time, there were also
videos and news that instead of vaccine helping us prevent the virus, this is on the other
hand very harmful. Since then, most people are torn between being vaccinated or not.
According to News Rappler last January 2021, throughout several surveys, lawmakers
have raised concern over increasing vaccine hesitancy in the Philippines. Today,
around 40% of Filipinos are not willing to get the vaccine. Around second quarter of
2020, Duterte proclaimed “no vaccine, no classes”. How can we have face-to-face
classes if even most teachers are still doubtful whether to take vaccine or not? The
Covid-19 Vaccination Program will certainly be the largest and most complex public
health effort in the Philippine history and it will be full of sweat and tears from the
preparation to implementation. Since Filipinos are known to be united and cooperative,
may they all see the efforts of people behind this development of vaccines in less than a
year with high efficacy rate.
How wonderful it is to celebrate victory with the co-Filipinos where we can finally
live our old lives like we used to. Yet, we will also be forever live the tangled present
setting unless we can finally decide whether to take the Covid-19 vaccine or not and will
never again be torn between
Half Empty, Half Full
Algien A. Parker, T-II
As coronavirus pandemic increases casualties and infections, Department of
Education still choose to continue this academic year to avoid this so called “learning
gap” in education. DepEd shifted to blending learning resorted to children staying at
home continuing their education and to all the teachers as well in response to the call of
duty towards public service.
The DepEd Learning Management System (LMS) gives teachers access to
create a “virtual class” where they can assign various activities and lessons to each
learner. Teachers can have access to many Learning Materials (LMs) to help in delivery
of the lessons.
On the other hand, Teachers are also provided with the Portfolio Predicate on
Exemplar (PPE); Self Learning Module (SLM); and Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM)
crafted and patterned to the Most Essential Learnings Competencies in all subject areas
of K-12 as a medium for class lessons.
But with all of this, as Teachers how do we take our emotions and feelings in
dealing with the new normal set up in the education system? What if someone had
shown you an illustration of a glass that is filled with water that only reaches the mid-
level; how would you define it? Is it half-full or half-empty? This situation may also
pertain on how someone views life.
To those who answered that the glass is half full, they are those have a positive
outlook. Someone who always hopes to surpass something whenever facing a problem.
They are those who would keep their head held up high and would still smile no matter
how hard their life’s been ripped apart. Not minding how much water is present if there
is still some left. It is like a saying, “there is still another chance for a brighter tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, to those who defined the glass as half-empty, they are those who
preferred to sulk around and be depressed upon such small things rather than trying to
look for ways to solve it. They are those who may be labeled as the problematic ones
who take their problems way too seriously at heart and would spare their time alone in
their dark corner wondering why or how such disasters occurred in their lives. Seeing
that the glass that was once full is now lessened and diminished only in the mid-level,
they find it invaluable anymore. Like there is no hope or it is now worthless since the
amount diminished and will never be full again.
Sometimes, it is always good to choose either the positive or negative outlook
based on the situation. One might be all too happy and would smile in front of others
just to assure them they are fine even if they are dying inside. Instead of feeling better,
they had just ended up being immune to pain until they become selfless. On the other
hand, being alone with yourself might bring you different, weird, and dreadful ideas for
our emotions to trigger up different functions in our minds. But it is good in a way since
you would be able to think clearly as you realize your lapses and sort things out.
No matter what the problem is, it is still up to the person to decide what to do.
Always to consider the pros and cons in terms of decisions so that they would be able to
decide that they would not regret in the end.
SK: Step Up!

By; Sophia Bucarile
Youth, as mischievous they might be, could not be denied that their presence as
one sector is a necessity. They are young but precocious, sensitive, and knowledgeable
with the issues our country is facing. With this, Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) paved a
way to provide opportunity for the youth to participate in the local governance.
However, a handful of issues is raised against it and its effectiveness is not
thoroughly seen or felt by the general public. As a result, the institution is questioned if
they are still functioning in the community.
Sangguniang Kabataan was institutionalized by R.A. 7160 or the Local
Government Code of the Philippines. This aimed to provide an avenue for the youth to
be trained as leaders. SK officials are to promulgate resolutions necessary to carry out
the objectives of the youth, initiating programs designed to enhance different aspects of
development and to conduct fund-raising activities.
The idea is there, young people work hand in hand in helping each other
producing young leaders and projects to help the community. Their skills, creativity,
willingness, and sense of volunteerism is given an outlet into good use and training as
leaders of the future generation.
On the other hand, the general public feel otherwise. The institution is involved
with a lot of issues regarding corruption & repetitive programs focusing on sports and
pageantry only. In a 2007 study of the Department of Interior and Local Government
(DILG) and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), they
have stated that the SK’s performance has been generally weak for the past 10 years.
Perhaps, there is no proper legislation that promotes the development of young people
and lack of report submitted.
They should focus not only in terms of sport and pageantry but also broaden the
youth’s community involvement in terms of education, entrepreneurship, employment
and other things. To address the corruption issues, their programs should be
transparent regarding financial disbursements and instead of salaries, SK officials can
be granted scholarships.
SK could be really beneficial not only to the youth sector but to their community.
With proper training and guidance, it could be the best outlet for their skills and
leadership.
But to realize this, support system is a must. And who are better supporters than
their direct beneficiaries? Maybe it is time to let the youth sector be heard of what they
want and not with what they are given.
a. Similarity of style
Among the three column articles, I observed that all of them have the purpose of
informing the readers and giving them a glimpse of their different perspectives in
regards to the topic. In the first article, it tackles the effectiveness of the vaccine in
fighting the COVID-19 virus. It somehow promulgates the notion of taking a vaccine
shot or not. As for the second article, it shares a familiar idea with the first article—
where choosing between two things is uncertain. Undoubtedly, these two articles mostly
focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, for which its main purpose was to give insights to
the reader as well as to offer a new perspective on those particular issues. In the third
article, the function of the SK (Sangguniang Kabataan) was highlighted. This questions
the SK’s effectiveness in molding and guiding the youth. With this, readers are now
aware of the issue regarding the SK and how they will put an end to it.
As can be seen, the writing styles of all of the articles are similar. Without a
doubt, the unified style is applied in all of the articles. Truly, the unified style is being
used in all of the articles. All of the columns articles is composed and written on a
simple subject throughout, it is said to have utilised the unified style. As per unified
style, the articles are in fact an essay, formally or informally, in order to attune the topic
and approach. These articles used this style to discuss a single subject each day. It is
also useful for those who cater to single-idea columns. Furthermore, the Question-and-
Answer Style was also employed in these articles, particularly in article 1. In this style, a
columnist poses a question and then responds to it. This makes the columns
understandable and comprehensible even to general readers. Hence, the writing style
of the articles allows the writer to raise issues of national and international importance
and then respond to them in an easy and clear manner and language. As a result, all of
the articles effectively contribute to the instruction, teaching, and improvement of the
general masses' educational ideals and standards.

School Administrators and teachers have reported to school on September 15 until
September 30, 2020
in order to be upskilled through series of LAC Sessions
and capacity building programs. The LAC Sessions modules are coming from the
central office that were downloaded and printed by all administrators and teachers as
guide for upskilling. A critical component of the LCP
is enabling teachers and school leaders to use the learning delivery modalities
effectively. LCP capacity building
has two streams: the first stream (LDM1) is focused on
the implementation and management of the alternative
learning delivery system at all levels of the education system, and intended for school
leaders.
I challenge the school administrators to walk your
talk as you manage your teachers, parents, students and
pupils. I inspire the teachers to be highly motivated and
productive for the good of the pupils and students. “Empathy should be emphasized not
only sympathy”. To the
parents, let us be partners in educating your children in
the new normal considering that face to face learning is
still prohibited. Keep your children at home for health
safety and take advantage of what DepEd offers so that
the education of your children will continue even in this
pandemic. Aside from our Radio Based Instruction, and
modular learning modalities, we still have available online educational platforms. One is
the DepEd commons
accessible on Globe or TM powered smartphones free
of data charges and which is also accessible to all public
and private students and pupils. Because of COVID 19
movement restrictions, “the DepEd has been encouraging students to continue their
learning in any modalities
that they can access but of course with the guidance of
their class adviser in order for them to catch up with the
assessment that will be given to them every end of the
week, month and in quarter exams. Assessment is necessary to keep track the learners
progress in relation to
learning standards and in the development of the 21st
century skills; to promote self-reflection and personal
accountability among students about their own learning;
and to provide basis for the profiling of students’ performance on the learning
competencies and standards of the
curriculum. Our commitment and dedication for service
is 100 percent poured out for the preparation of modules
because we want that all children can receive quality education that they deserve.
Oplan Balik Eskwela on October 5, 2020 invites
all parents to participate in getting the modules for their
children. I enjoin everyone who believes in the cause of
education to work together and join us in responding to
the increasing development requirements of our children
and in creating a better world for the Filipino learners
whom we are sworn to serve.
In light of COVID-19 Pandemic
Rosalinda E. Urbiztondo, Ph.D.
Public Schools District Supervisor
What the Supervisor says…….
07 OPINION

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Torn Between

By: Blessel Fe U. Guiral, T-I, San Antonio ES

SK: Step Up!

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