Center for treatment of drug-resistant TB to rise in Koronadal City
by Dani Doguiles
PIA News Agency
November, 26, 2010
Koronadal City (26 November) -- Residents of Region 12 who are suffering from multi-drug resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) will soon get free services with the establishment of a regional treatment center for the disease in Koronadal City.
Koronadal City Mayor Peter B. Miguel recently announced that a memorandum of agreement between the local government, Department of Health (DOH), National Lung Center, and the private non-profit foundation Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) for the creation of a Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis Center in the city has been signed.
The MDR treatment center will effectively hasten the management and control of the increasing number of multi-drug resistant TB cases in the region at much lesser expense on the part of the patients and their families.
Based on the MOA, the city government is only required to provide five medical staff who will run the facility and the building that will house the center as its counterpart in the partnership. Partner agencies will provide the equipment and machineries, training of the personnel, as well as drugs and medicines for the treatment.
After five years, the full operation of the TB treatment center will be turned over to the city government.
"At present, patients with multi-drug resistant TB are treated in Metro Manila but the National Lung Center cannot accommodate all the patients. For people in the city and the neighboring cities and provinces suffering from TB, to avail of such treatment is very expensive," he said.
Treatment of MDR cases is also more expensive than the treatment of the normal cases of TB.
"Treatments in the TB center will be free of charge," he added.
The TB center will be put up beside the City Health Office.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Smart engages community, partners in tree planting
Smart engages community, partners in tree planting
Cebu Daily News
November 16, 2010
Raising a child is not the only task that requires a village’s collective efforts.
The saying also holds true for greening one’s locality or area.
This is one of the primary reasons Smart Communications Inc. took time to engage local community and partners in its tree planting program.
In each of its tree planting sites in the country, Smart taps a local partner to draw support for reforestation efforts.
“We involve the community in our reforestation efforts. It makes easier for us to get them to commit to the care and maintenance of the seedlings we planted,” said Smart Public Affairs Group head Ramon Isberto.
In Cebu, Smart, together with Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) employee-volunteers and the Philippine Business for Social Progress already planted 33,500 mangrove propagules and endemic trees in its adopted areas in Olango Island, Lapu-Lapu City and Bojo, Aloguinsan in southwest Cebu.
Smart has also been conducting tree planting activities in Tagbilaran City, Bohol; Dumaguete, Negros Oriental; Bacolod, Negros Occidental; Cagayan de Oro; and Lugait in Misamis Oriental.
Smart’s planting activities this year have resulted in the planting of close to 180,000 seedlings and mangrove propagules through the combined efforts of 1,558 community and employee-volunteers.
This year also marks the third year of the three-year tree planting agreement forged in 2008 between PLDT, Smart, the PLDT-Smart Foundation and Japan’s leading mobile telecommunications company NTT DOCOMO Inc.
Smart’s tree planting activities are part of the company’s corporate social responsibility and community service program Kabalikat.
Cebu Daily News
November 16, 2010
Raising a child is not the only task that requires a village’s collective efforts.
The saying also holds true for greening one’s locality or area.
This is one of the primary reasons Smart Communications Inc. took time to engage local community and partners in its tree planting program.
In each of its tree planting sites in the country, Smart taps a local partner to draw support for reforestation efforts.
“We involve the community in our reforestation efforts. It makes easier for us to get them to commit to the care and maintenance of the seedlings we planted,” said Smart Public Affairs Group head Ramon Isberto.
In Cebu, Smart, together with Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) employee-volunteers and the Philippine Business for Social Progress already planted 33,500 mangrove propagules and endemic trees in its adopted areas in Olango Island, Lapu-Lapu City and Bojo, Aloguinsan in southwest Cebu.
Smart has also been conducting tree planting activities in Tagbilaran City, Bohol; Dumaguete, Negros Oriental; Bacolod, Negros Occidental; Cagayan de Oro; and Lugait in Misamis Oriental.
Smart’s planting activities this year have resulted in the planting of close to 180,000 seedlings and mangrove propagules through the combined efforts of 1,558 community and employee-volunteers.
This year also marks the third year of the three-year tree planting agreement forged in 2008 between PLDT, Smart, the PLDT-Smart Foundation and Japan’s leading mobile telecommunications company NTT DOCOMO Inc.
Smart’s tree planting activities are part of the company’s corporate social responsibility and community service program Kabalikat.
World-class Cebu exporter trains youths for employment
World-class Cebu exporter trains youths for employment
By Malou Mozo
Manila Bulletin
November 14, 2010
CEBU CITY, Philippines - An internationally acclaimed Cebuano furniture designer and exporter has announced that it has recently tapped out-of-school-youths as additional manpower in an effort to provide them with employment opportunities.
Kenneth Cobonpue, through his company, Interior Crafts of the Island Inc., and in coordination with Filo D' Oro Upholstery Subcontractor Development, has commissioned at least 10 out-of-school-youths, aged 16 to 24 years old, to produce his firm's upholstery requirements, the latest orders being those placed by RugNets owned by international fashion design icon, Giorgio Armani.
This special subcontracting system undertaken by Cobonpue is supported by the German Development Service (DED) in cooperation with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) through the specified Strategic Corporate-Community Partnership (SCOPE).
At present, said 10 out-of-school-youths are housed at the Filo D' Oro mini-manufacturing center located in the property on which stands Cobonpue's ancestral house in Barangay Lahug, Cebu City.
The youths are taught how to sew and do customized upholstery required by Cobonpue's clients comprised of a number of name personalities around the world.
According to Eleoterio Bravo, Officer-in-Charge of Cobonpue's Filo D' Oro facility, the youths are endorsed by partner religious organizations, like Focolare and the ''Bukas Palad'' religious community.
By Malou Mozo
Manila Bulletin
November 14, 2010
CEBU CITY, Philippines - An internationally acclaimed Cebuano furniture designer and exporter has announced that it has recently tapped out-of-school-youths as additional manpower in an effort to provide them with employment opportunities.
Kenneth Cobonpue, through his company, Interior Crafts of the Island Inc., and in coordination with Filo D' Oro Upholstery Subcontractor Development, has commissioned at least 10 out-of-school-youths, aged 16 to 24 years old, to produce his firm's upholstery requirements, the latest orders being those placed by RugNets owned by international fashion design icon, Giorgio Armani.
This special subcontracting system undertaken by Cobonpue is supported by the German Development Service (DED) in cooperation with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) through the specified Strategic Corporate-Community Partnership (SCOPE).
At present, said 10 out-of-school-youths are housed at the Filo D' Oro mini-manufacturing center located in the property on which stands Cobonpue's ancestral house in Barangay Lahug, Cebu City.
The youths are taught how to sew and do customized upholstery required by Cobonpue's clients comprised of a number of name personalities around the world.
According to Eleoterio Bravo, Officer-in-Charge of Cobonpue's Filo D' Oro facility, the youths are endorsed by partner religious organizations, like Focolare and the ''Bukas Palad'' religious community.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
BiD challenges MSMEs to grace NGO trade fair
BiD challenges MSMEs to grace NGO trade fair
By Mitchel Confesor
PIA News Agency
November 13, 2010
Manila (13 November) -- Entrepreneurs are all set to converge next week at a mall trade fair showcasing products and other initiatives of non-government organizations (NGOs) as the centerpiece of the national commemoration of Social Development Week in the country.
Among their unique and enterprising innovations are virgin coconut oil liniments and scalp-care items from fruit and vegetable skincare extracts, organically grown corn coffee products, organic rice and muscovado sugar foodstuffs, costume jewelry sets from indigenous and synthetic materials, and handmade crafts by former migrant workers to Japan and former prison inmates.
In a statement, the corporate-led social development foundation Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) said these entrepreneurs will display their products and innovations at the NGO Trade Fair to be held at the Trinoma Mall in northern Quezon City from November 15-18.
PBSP said some of these entrepreneurs are previous top Philippine participants of the Dutch-organized Business in Development (BiD) Challenge, including one Filipino entrepreneur who won the women in retail award in the Netherlands in the 2009 edition of this annual international online business plan competition.
The online competition in the Philippines is spearheaded by PBSP together with Citibank in the Philippines and the Citi Foundation in New York, the Dutch group BiD Network Foundation, and United Way.
With the aim of developing micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to help spur economic activities in the country, PBSP earlier invited individuals with innovative business ideas to take the BiD Challenge and get the rare chance to compete with international entries from Africa to Latin America.
The PBSP-Citibank BiD Challenge Philippines 2010 aims to promote poverty reduction through enterprise development, with the aim of generating new and innovative business ideas combining poverty reduction and profit where viable ideas are being matched with potential investors.
Entrepreneurs also get exposure to a network of investors, experts, and business partners, receiving professional feedback and assistance from business coaches, plus a chance to win prize money, PBSP said.
The competition further aims to stimulate and support business ideas that combine making profit with the improvement of living standards in the country, as well as stimulate private sector development in the country by creating a platform where entrepreneurs, experts, networks, and investors can meet.
Baycrafts, which won in the category of women in business retail challenge in 2009, has produced and sold costume jewelry made from pearls, wood, fiber, seeds, crystals, and glass, with a complete line of jewelry including necklaces, bracelets, earrings, hair ornaments, rings, and anklets, among others. (PBSP)
By Mitchel Confesor
PIA News Agency
November 13, 2010
Manila (13 November) -- Entrepreneurs are all set to converge next week at a mall trade fair showcasing products and other initiatives of non-government organizations (NGOs) as the centerpiece of the national commemoration of Social Development Week in the country.
Among their unique and enterprising innovations are virgin coconut oil liniments and scalp-care items from fruit and vegetable skincare extracts, organically grown corn coffee products, organic rice and muscovado sugar foodstuffs, costume jewelry sets from indigenous and synthetic materials, and handmade crafts by former migrant workers to Japan and former prison inmates.
In a statement, the corporate-led social development foundation Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) said these entrepreneurs will display their products and innovations at the NGO Trade Fair to be held at the Trinoma Mall in northern Quezon City from November 15-18.
PBSP said some of these entrepreneurs are previous top Philippine participants of the Dutch-organized Business in Development (BiD) Challenge, including one Filipino entrepreneur who won the women in retail award in the Netherlands in the 2009 edition of this annual international online business plan competition.
The online competition in the Philippines is spearheaded by PBSP together with Citibank in the Philippines and the Citi Foundation in New York, the Dutch group BiD Network Foundation, and United Way.
With the aim of developing micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to help spur economic activities in the country, PBSP earlier invited individuals with innovative business ideas to take the BiD Challenge and get the rare chance to compete with international entries from Africa to Latin America.
The PBSP-Citibank BiD Challenge Philippines 2010 aims to promote poverty reduction through enterprise development, with the aim of generating new and innovative business ideas combining poverty reduction and profit where viable ideas are being matched with potential investors.
Entrepreneurs also get exposure to a network of investors, experts, and business partners, receiving professional feedback and assistance from business coaches, plus a chance to win prize money, PBSP said.
The competition further aims to stimulate and support business ideas that combine making profit with the improvement of living standards in the country, as well as stimulate private sector development in the country by creating a platform where entrepreneurs, experts, networks, and investors can meet.
Baycrafts, which won in the category of women in business retail challenge in 2009, has produced and sold costume jewelry made from pearls, wood, fiber, seeds, crystals, and glass, with a complete line of jewelry including necklaces, bracelets, earrings, hair ornaments, rings, and anklets, among others. (PBSP)
Smart training may produce online ambassadors
Smart training may produce online ambassadors
Cebu Daily News
November 13, 2010
The province of Guimaras in Western Visayas may get a boost in its effort to become the preferred tourism destination, now that 90 teachers and students from 22 public schools in the province have the skills to promote the island online.
Smart Communications Inc., in partnership with Petron Foundation and the Philippine Business for Social Progress, recently conducted a content generation and Web development training to encourage online content generation under its Doon Po Sa Amin (DPSA) project.
The five-day training held at the Central Philippine University in Iloilo City also drew representatives from the Department of Education Guimaras division.
Participants were given lectures and exercises on research methods, writing for the Web, image editing, photo journalism, blogging, fundamentals of Web design, websites and web servers, website development, publishing and uploading website.
At the end of the training, the 22 schools and the DepEd Guimaras division office were able to upload their websites hosted by Smart for free.
The participating seven public elementary schools and 15 public high schools have become Smart Schools Program online associates and can now join any of the three contests under DPSA.
These contests include the DPSA Learning Challenge, “Ano ang Kwento Mo? (What’s your story?)” and DPSA Quest.
The DPSA Learning Challenge draws on high school teams from SSP partners to perform basic community mapping exercises to generate local content that will help educate their respective communities and/or address pertinent local problems or issues.
“Ano ang Kwento Mo?” is open to all private and public high school students nationwide. It requires student teams, headed by a teacher coach, to create video blogs that feature a distinct characteristic, place or culture in their communities. Teams are then asked to upload their videos.
The DPSA Quest engages grade school SSP partners and online associates to research unique stories about their respective communities and narrate these stories through their blog sites.
Cash prizes and items are in store for the winners of the three competitions. Details can be accessed through www.doonposaamin.ph.
Cebu Daily News
November 13, 2010
The province of Guimaras in Western Visayas may get a boost in its effort to become the preferred tourism destination, now that 90 teachers and students from 22 public schools in the province have the skills to promote the island online.
Smart Communications Inc., in partnership with Petron Foundation and the Philippine Business for Social Progress, recently conducted a content generation and Web development training to encourage online content generation under its Doon Po Sa Amin (DPSA) project.
The five-day training held at the Central Philippine University in Iloilo City also drew representatives from the Department of Education Guimaras division.
Participants were given lectures and exercises on research methods, writing for the Web, image editing, photo journalism, blogging, fundamentals of Web design, websites and web servers, website development, publishing and uploading website.
At the end of the training, the 22 schools and the DepEd Guimaras division office were able to upload their websites hosted by Smart for free.
The participating seven public elementary schools and 15 public high schools have become Smart Schools Program online associates and can now join any of the three contests under DPSA.
These contests include the DPSA Learning Challenge, “Ano ang Kwento Mo? (What’s your story?)” and DPSA Quest.
The DPSA Learning Challenge draws on high school teams from SSP partners to perform basic community mapping exercises to generate local content that will help educate their respective communities and/or address pertinent local problems or issues.
“Ano ang Kwento Mo?” is open to all private and public high school students nationwide. It requires student teams, headed by a teacher coach, to create video blogs that feature a distinct characteristic, place or culture in their communities. Teams are then asked to upload their videos.
The DPSA Quest engages grade school SSP partners and online associates to research unique stories about their respective communities and narrate these stories through their blog sites.
Cash prizes and items are in store for the winners of the three competitions. Details can be accessed through www.doonposaamin.ph.
Thursday, November 04, 2010
Loggers cut trees in Tabunan forest
Loggers cut trees in Tabunan forest
By Candeze R. Mongaya
Cebu Daily News
October 30, 2010
Proof of illegal logging was discovered the other day in the Tabunan pocket forest in Cebu City, part of a reforestation area.
Nicitas Bores, 52, a caretaker, found two native trees of lawaan and nato cut down during a roving inspection.
Both trees were premium hardwood species valued as lumber with a commercial value of over P16,000. A third tree was damaged, apparently from the impact of the fall of the two trees.
Bores, who works for the Kantipla Ecosystem Enhancement Program (Keep) Foundation, made the discovery during his weekly check of the reforestation area in sitio Kantipla, a popular site for treeplanting by volunteers in Cebu City.
Barangay Tabunan, a government timberland area, is part of the 49,000-hectare Central Cebu Protected Landscape – a source of Metro Cebu’s water supply.
Ariel Rica, CCPL supervisor of the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), said that a chainsaw with a silencer was probably used to cut the trees so that the logging wasn't noticed by residents a kilometer away.
The two cut trees were large enough for two adults to encircle the trunk with their arms. The three trees measured 5,612 board feet.
Bores said he suspected that the trees were cut Tuesday night.
“We don’t know who did this,” Bores told CEBU DAILY NEWS.
Ma. Flordeliza Rosales, a forester of the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), said that some local farmers are converting part of the forest into farmland and that newly planted tree seedlings were sometimes ruined.
“Once, I saw them bring in students who tilled the lot with them. The trees we planted were damaged and had no chance of surviving.”
Members of the Farmers Development Center (Fardec) through Estrella Catarata, executive director denied any involvment in logging.
“We want to preserve and protect our forest. But we should also respect the rights of the farmer to till,” she said.
Catarata said workers of Keep Foundation want 75 farmers residing in the area to leave.
Keep Foundation chaired by retired general Tiburcio Fusilero is tasked to reforest and maintain 503 hectares in barangay Tabunan and surrounding areas but friction with some residents has led to confrotations in recent years.
Keep Foundation signed a memorandum of agreement with the DENR in 2001 to maintain the area.
By Candeze R. Mongaya
Cebu Daily News
October 30, 2010
Proof of illegal logging was discovered the other day in the Tabunan pocket forest in Cebu City, part of a reforestation area.
Nicitas Bores, 52, a caretaker, found two native trees of lawaan and nato cut down during a roving inspection.
Both trees were premium hardwood species valued as lumber with a commercial value of over P16,000. A third tree was damaged, apparently from the impact of the fall of the two trees.
Bores, who works for the Kantipla Ecosystem Enhancement Program (Keep) Foundation, made the discovery during his weekly check of the reforestation area in sitio Kantipla, a popular site for treeplanting by volunteers in Cebu City.
Barangay Tabunan, a government timberland area, is part of the 49,000-hectare Central Cebu Protected Landscape – a source of Metro Cebu’s water supply.
Ariel Rica, CCPL supervisor of the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), said that a chainsaw with a silencer was probably used to cut the trees so that the logging wasn't noticed by residents a kilometer away.
The two cut trees were large enough for two adults to encircle the trunk with their arms. The three trees measured 5,612 board feet.
Bores said he suspected that the trees were cut Tuesday night.
“We don’t know who did this,” Bores told CEBU DAILY NEWS.
Ma. Flordeliza Rosales, a forester of the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), said that some local farmers are converting part of the forest into farmland and that newly planted tree seedlings were sometimes ruined.
“Once, I saw them bring in students who tilled the lot with them. The trees we planted were damaged and had no chance of surviving.”
Members of the Farmers Development Center (Fardec) through Estrella Catarata, executive director denied any involvment in logging.
“We want to preserve and protect our forest. But we should also respect the rights of the farmer to till,” she said.
Catarata said workers of Keep Foundation want 75 farmers residing in the area to leave.
Keep Foundation chaired by retired general Tiburcio Fusilero is tasked to reforest and maintain 503 hectares in barangay Tabunan and surrounding areas but friction with some residents has led to confrotations in recent years.
Keep Foundation signed a memorandum of agreement with the DENR in 2001 to maintain the area.
CDO partners with PBSP for urban poverty reduction
CDO partners with PBSP for urban poverty reduction
The Philippine Star
November 4, 2010
MANILA, Philippines - Food manufacturer CDO-Foodsphere Inc. has teamed up with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), a non-profit corporate foundation established by prominent businessmen led by PLDT chairman Manuel Pangilinan, for a supplemental feeding program to save indigent children out of malnutrition in a pilot site in northern Metro Manila.
Odyssey Foundation and PBSP joined hands in implementing the Almusalang Bayan: Supplemental Feeding Program in a densely populated poor community in Catmon, Malabon City.
Odyssey is the corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm of CDO-Foodsphere.
Under the program supported by CDO-Foodsphere and pharmaceutical firm United Laboratories Inc., some 150 underweight children from the project site underwent a 64-day supplemental feeding that highlighted the importance of breakfast.
The children received free breakfast as well as vitamin supplements needed to nurse them back to health.
Several nutrition and scientific studies have tagged breakfast as the most important meal of the day, as it provides the necessary nutrients the body needs for physical and mental growth and development.
The program, which is in line with the Strategic Private Sector Partnerships for Urban Poverty Reduction (STEP-UP) campaign of PBSP, has resulted in the improved nutritional condition of the 150 young beneficiaries.
It involved partnership building, baseline data gathering, training, actual feeding, and monitoring and assessment. The 150 beneficiaries aged five and below, completed the program last Aug. 12.
STEP-UP is being implemented by PBSP in 14 cities in Metro Manila to improve the quality of life of over 13,000 households.
Odyssey Foundation said it partnered with PBSP in response to Pangilinan’s call on the private sector to “contribute to reducing the extent and misery or urban poverty” in the country.
Odyssey Foundation said the partnership with PBSP for the supplemental feeding program is a significant step toward getting the private sector involved in addressing the serious problem of malnutrition in the Philippines.
Data from the government’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) show that between 2005 and 2008, the proportion of Filipino children aged zero to five who were underweight increased from 24.6 percent to 26.2 percent.
At the same time, the percentage of underheight children aged below five went up from 26.3 percent to 27.9 percent during the three-year period.
In actual number, this translates to 3.3 million Filipino children who were underweight and 3.5 million children who were underheight.
“In every 100 pre-school children, 26 were underweight, 28 were underheight and six were thin,” according to the results of the 2008 National Nutrition Survey.
The Philippine Star
November 4, 2010
MANILA, Philippines - Food manufacturer CDO-Foodsphere Inc. has teamed up with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), a non-profit corporate foundation established by prominent businessmen led by PLDT chairman Manuel Pangilinan, for a supplemental feeding program to save indigent children out of malnutrition in a pilot site in northern Metro Manila.
Odyssey Foundation and PBSP joined hands in implementing the Almusalang Bayan: Supplemental Feeding Program in a densely populated poor community in Catmon, Malabon City.
Odyssey is the corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm of CDO-Foodsphere.
Under the program supported by CDO-Foodsphere and pharmaceutical firm United Laboratories Inc., some 150 underweight children from the project site underwent a 64-day supplemental feeding that highlighted the importance of breakfast.
The children received free breakfast as well as vitamin supplements needed to nurse them back to health.
Several nutrition and scientific studies have tagged breakfast as the most important meal of the day, as it provides the necessary nutrients the body needs for physical and mental growth and development.
The program, which is in line with the Strategic Private Sector Partnerships for Urban Poverty Reduction (STEP-UP) campaign of PBSP, has resulted in the improved nutritional condition of the 150 young beneficiaries.
It involved partnership building, baseline data gathering, training, actual feeding, and monitoring and assessment. The 150 beneficiaries aged five and below, completed the program last Aug. 12.
STEP-UP is being implemented by PBSP in 14 cities in Metro Manila to improve the quality of life of over 13,000 households.
Odyssey Foundation said it partnered with PBSP in response to Pangilinan’s call on the private sector to “contribute to reducing the extent and misery or urban poverty” in the country.
Odyssey Foundation said the partnership with PBSP for the supplemental feeding program is a significant step toward getting the private sector involved in addressing the serious problem of malnutrition in the Philippines.
Data from the government’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) show that between 2005 and 2008, the proportion of Filipino children aged zero to five who were underweight increased from 24.6 percent to 26.2 percent.
At the same time, the percentage of underheight children aged below five went up from 26.3 percent to 27.9 percent during the three-year period.
In actual number, this translates to 3.3 million Filipino children who were underweight and 3.5 million children who were underheight.
“In every 100 pre-school children, 26 were underweight, 28 were underheight and six were thin,” according to the results of the 2008 National Nutrition Survey.
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Smart training may produce Guimaras online ambassadors
Smart training may produce Guimaras online ambassadors
Sun.Star Iloilo
November 2, 2010
The island province of Guimaras in Western Visayas, which enjoys a reputation of producing the sweetest mangoes in the world, may get a boost in its efforts to become the preferred tourism and investment destination for agriculture, fishery and tourism, now that 90 teachers and students from 22 of its public schools have the skills to promote the island online.
Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart), in partnership with Petron Foundation and the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), recently conducted a Content Generation and Web Development training as part of its efforts to encourage online content generation under its Doon Po Sa Amin (DPSA) project.
The five-day training held at the Central Philippine University in Jaro, Iloilo, also drew representatives from the Department of Education-Guimaras division office.
Participants were given lectures and exercises on research methods, writing for the Web, image editing, photo journalism, blogging, fundamentals of Web design, websites and web servers, website development, publishing and uploading website and underwent a DPSA workshop.
At the end of the training, the 22 schools and the DepEd Guimaras division office were able to upload their websites via Smart’s free website hosting. The participating seven public elementary schools and 15 public high schools are also now considered SSP online associates, which means they can join any of three competitions under Smart’s DPSA.
DPSA is a four-year content generation project where teachers and students of Smart Schools Program (SSP) partner schools are encouraged to use Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) to generate and share web-based information and educational materials about their respective communities.
The project includes teacher trainings, website hosting and web development support, access to learning resources, a sustainable incentive system for participation, and three contests which recognize student groups and school teams which uploaded the richest local content or most unique information on the worldwide web.
These contests include the DPSA Learning Challenge, “Ano ang Kwento Mo? (What’s your story?)” and DPSA Quest.
Now on its third consecutive year, the DPSA Learning Challenge draws on high school teams from SSP partners and online associates to perform basic community mapping exercises to generate local content which will help their respective communities be educated about and/or address pertinent local problems or issues. Final output of the competition is the website designed and developed by the teacher-student team.
"Ano ang Kwento Mo?", which is open to all private and public high school students nationwide, requires student teams, headed by a teacher coach, to create video blogs that feature a distinct characteristic, place, or culture in their communities. Teams are asked to upload their videos in a video hosting site, then create a blog site where the hosted videos will be embedded.
The DPSA Quest engages grade school SSP partners and online associates to research unique stories about their respective communities and narrate these stories online through their blog sites in alignment with the contest theme “Our Community, Our Pride: Rediscovering our Hometown”.
Cash prizes and items are in store for the winners of the three competitions, details of which can be accessed via www.doonposaamin.ph.
With much encouragement from Smart’s DPSA contests, these 22 public schools may very well become Guimaras’ newest online ambassadors as they post stories and images unique to the island province online and enable a global audience to know more about Guimaras.
Smart’s efforts to encourage online content contribution from public school partners are part of its efforts to make the Web relevant to more people under its ‘Internet for All’ advocacy. (PR)
Sun.Star Iloilo
November 2, 2010
The island province of Guimaras in Western Visayas, which enjoys a reputation of producing the sweetest mangoes in the world, may get a boost in its efforts to become the preferred tourism and investment destination for agriculture, fishery and tourism, now that 90 teachers and students from 22 of its public schools have the skills to promote the island online.
Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart), in partnership with Petron Foundation and the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), recently conducted a Content Generation and Web Development training as part of its efforts to encourage online content generation under its Doon Po Sa Amin (DPSA) project.
The five-day training held at the Central Philippine University in Jaro, Iloilo, also drew representatives from the Department of Education-Guimaras division office.
Participants were given lectures and exercises on research methods, writing for the Web, image editing, photo journalism, blogging, fundamentals of Web design, websites and web servers, website development, publishing and uploading website and underwent a DPSA workshop.
At the end of the training, the 22 schools and the DepEd Guimaras division office were able to upload their websites via Smart’s free website hosting. The participating seven public elementary schools and 15 public high schools are also now considered SSP online associates, which means they can join any of three competitions under Smart’s DPSA.
DPSA is a four-year content generation project where teachers and students of Smart Schools Program (SSP) partner schools are encouraged to use Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) to generate and share web-based information and educational materials about their respective communities.
The project includes teacher trainings, website hosting and web development support, access to learning resources, a sustainable incentive system for participation, and three contests which recognize student groups and school teams which uploaded the richest local content or most unique information on the worldwide web.
These contests include the DPSA Learning Challenge, “Ano ang Kwento Mo? (What’s your story?)” and DPSA Quest.
Now on its third consecutive year, the DPSA Learning Challenge draws on high school teams from SSP partners and online associates to perform basic community mapping exercises to generate local content which will help their respective communities be educated about and/or address pertinent local problems or issues. Final output of the competition is the website designed and developed by the teacher-student team.
"Ano ang Kwento Mo?", which is open to all private and public high school students nationwide, requires student teams, headed by a teacher coach, to create video blogs that feature a distinct characteristic, place, or culture in their communities. Teams are asked to upload their videos in a video hosting site, then create a blog site where the hosted videos will be embedded.
The DPSA Quest engages grade school SSP partners and online associates to research unique stories about their respective communities and narrate these stories online through their blog sites in alignment with the contest theme “Our Community, Our Pride: Rediscovering our Hometown”.
Cash prizes and items are in store for the winners of the three competitions, details of which can be accessed via www.doonposaamin.ph.
With much encouragement from Smart’s DPSA contests, these 22 public schools may very well become Guimaras’ newest online ambassadors as they post stories and images unique to the island province online and enable a global audience to know more about Guimaras.
Smart’s efforts to encourage online content contribution from public school partners are part of its efforts to make the Web relevant to more people under its ‘Internet for All’ advocacy. (PR)
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