Project Higher Education Language Proficiency Program (Project HELPP) of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Regional Office 1 has concluded its 6th batch of training which ran from September 1 to 8, 2006 at the Regional Educational Training Center (RELC) in San Vicente, City of San Fernando.

The 6th batch is unique from the other batches because instead of the usual English teachers to be trained, there were information technology (IT) instructors who joined this batch. The thrust is to inculcate in these IT teachers the importance of their role as language teachers vis-a-vis their specialized field. It was emphasized to them that instructors and professors in the specialized subjects are indirectly English language teachers since they use English as their primary medium of instruction.

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Efforts to contain the oil spill in Guimaras Island are so concentrated that there seems to be nothing being done with what could be a bigger oil spill problem.

While it is true that the Guimaras oil spill is of such a big magnitude and that moves to control the effect of the spilled oil must be drastic and effective, we have to contend with another fact that oil is not only spilled by marine accidents involving oil tankers.

There is what we call the chronic oil spill problem. Not many of us know that oil is spilled along highways and other thoroughfares. Road oil spill comes out of leakages from engines and this spillage go all the way to the sea.

When rain pours, the oil on the road is washed away to the sewerage system which find their connections to inland waterways which in turn bring the oil to the sea.

Factories that use engines have to change their used oil and we just wonder how they go about the used oil disposal. Our simple logic tells us that many of these establishments dispose of their used oil through public sewers which, again, bring the contaminated waters to the sea.

We also wonder how our car care centers dispose used oil from the vehicles of their clients. If they just pour in the oil into the same public sewers, then they also contribute to the chronic oil spill problem.

The case is just as easily exhibited by the pathetic state of the Pasig River and other affected rivers in the country. The Manila Bay also shows its own share of the problem.

And before we even think of the magnitude of the Guimaras oil spill, let us not forget that this chronic oil spill happens everyday, in every urbanized and developing community across the nation.

I don’t know but if there is an honest to goodness research to be done about the chronic oil spill problem of the nation, I am positive that it will dwarf what we see to be a gigantic Guimaras oil spill problem.

If the Clean Air Act is any indication, then it is about time that the true state of our national waters should be studied and effective oil spill control measures should be implemented before we end up praying to God for a completely new environment.

It’s hard to live with diseases in the body especially when the diseases you have are, like an FM station’s banner line, FOR LIFE.

Diabetes is one disease, which, when you have it,  you have to deal with all your life.  There is this product, however, that sets itself apart for diabetics to enjoy their gustatory urges inspite of their sugar condition.

It is called Glucerna, a product line which boasts of blends of slowly digested carbohydrates.  It’s no secret that diabetics must watch their carbohydrates intake because this is usually the culprit when their blood sugar levels shoot up suddenly endangering in the process their total physical well-being.  But with Glucerna, diabetics don’t have to worry about dangerous carbo because its carbo content is not the easily digested and easily absorbed type.

This means that diabetics who take in Glucerna don’t have to worry about their blood sugar levels shooting up.  It has maltodextrin, a substance that helps lower peak blood sugar and also aids in maintaining a relatively safe blood sugar level.  It also has sugar alcohols and fructose, nutrients that have low glycemic carbohydrates.  Further, it contains fiber which aid in maintaining a healthy digestive tract.

Glucerna users, why don’t you share here your experience with the product and help other diabetics learn about this health maintaining wonder.

Halitosis is the condition of having fetid breath (bad breath). Its direct cause is not really known but it may be due to one of the following.

• Dirty mouth. There is no dirt that smells well, including dirt in the mouth. Trapped food in dental crevices and spaces causes the formation of plaque, dirt in the mouth.
• Cavities and gum disease. The presence of infections makes a mouth sore, and a sore mouth usually has a sorry odor.
• Lung or gastric condition. The air exhaled in breathing comes from the lungs and if the lungs have something that creates the “bad air”, then the lungs are the culprit. Gastric conditions, too, could contribute to having halitosis. The frequent ingestion of strongly odorous food like garlic, onions and alcohol creates a systemic effect that lets the body produce foul smell, including bad breath.
• Smoking. Tobacco has a naturally occurring odor that many people dislike and only the smokers like.

Here are some ways on how to breath your bad breath away.

Keep your mouth clean. That means a thorough brushing at least twice a day. It also means flossing regularly. Food and bacteria trapped between teeth and at the gum line can only be removed with floss; if it’s left to linger, it’s not going to smell nice.

Clean your tongue, too. Bacteria left on your tongue can certainly contribute to less-than-fresh breath, Read more

Abortion refers to the termination of pregnancy before the fetus is capable of independent life. When the extraction occurs after the fetus becomes viable, that is, the fetus is capable of independent life, it is usually considered abortion.Abortion is of two types: spontaneous or induced. Spontaneous abortion is the unintended, usually accidental, termination of pregnancy.  Its causes are still to be clearly documented although about half of the cases can be traced from abnormal development of the embryo or placental tissue. These abnormalities are believed to have been due to inherent faults in the germ cells or may be secondary to faulty implantation of the developing ovum or to other characteristics of the maternal environment.

In experimental animals, severe vitamin deficiencies have been shown to play a role in abortions but this case is still to be Read more

If you’re a born again Christian and you have not had an Encounter God Retreat (EGR), chances are you’re spiritual life is not where it should be.

This is not to say, however, that for your spiritual life to become dynamic, you should have an EGR; or that EGR is the only sure fire way to revive your complacent spirit.  There are many ways by which you can have a spiritual revival and, admittedly, there are also various ways on how to sustain your dynamic Christian life.  The EGR is one way and its proven effectiveness in reviving sleepy Christian lives has been well-documented.  In fact, I am one of those who have gone through the rejuvenating experience of a real ENCOUNTER WITH GOD.

July 27-28, 2006 were two extraordinary days for me.  We went from Pangasinan to Valenzuela City, there in Bethel Bible College as second batch of EGR delegates from our Church, the Solid Rock Bible Congregation (SRBC) in Samat, Bugallon, Pangasinan.  I was out of the busy schedule of a teacher’s life and had the chance to be in the  company of 400 other Christians who went to the EGR with various reasons.  My purpose in attending the EGR that time was two-fold:  to satisfy my curiousity about this spiritual phenomenon which according to testimonies of people I know gave them  an envigorating spiritual experience, and to bring myself to a really exclusive time with God, an experience which is so difficult to happen in a constantly buzzing professional lifestyle.

For two days, I was not a professional but simply a student in the study of God and His ways and a child who longed for the embrace of a Father who has been waiting a long time for me to come home.  Yes, I was a sort of a prodigal son but when I get into the EGR experience, I was restored to the enabling and refreshing presence of the Father.

I won’t tell you exactly what happened to me in the EGR but I assure you, it was a most defining experience that I had.

My purpose in writing about the EGR is to tell you, brethren of the evangelical world to try the EGR.  You will never be the same again, I assure you that.   But you have to go their just like I did.  You have to take off your professional, theological, denominational and even your personal overcoats.  You have to empty yourself up so that God can fill you in.

The next time you hear of EGR from a brother or sister, don’t hesitate to ask when and where you can have that singular opportunity of having an extraordinary ENCOUNTER WITH GOD.

The revelries may have subsided right now especially in my mother school, the University of Pangasinan where this year’s topnotcher in the Nursing Board Exam graduated, Gringo de Guzman San Diego.

Well, aside from him, four other topnotchers are graduates of universities based in Dagupan. They are:

1. Russel Salvador Abalos ( top 8 ) - Lyceum Northwestern University
2. Benedict Nevado Mayo ( top 8 ) - Lyceum Northwestern University
3. Felipe Petras Sotelo Jr. ( top 8 ) - University of Pangasinan
4. Melody Aoanan Aquino ( top 9 ) - Lyceum Northwestern University

That makes five of the top 10 are from my beloved province, Pangasinan.

Kudos to all of you who passed this year’s nursing board exam. To those who were not successful, remember that failure is never final.

There’s this interesting feature in a television show about the presence of some unidentified flying objects (UFOs) called by thier catchers as “rods”.

In the feature, a group of extreme players went on a sky diving adventure in a vertical cave. In the video, there appeared some objects in the appearance of rods flying across the vicinity of the cave at a spectacular speed of up to 130 mph. Similar video captures from many amateur video footages were shown to support the idea of the UFO sighting.

The foremost believer of the “rod” phenom is Jose Escamilla who was the first man to make the “rod” sighting public. In his most daring act ever in his life, he came out of the open to show the whole world what he considered to be the single most significant discovery of life forms that we know so little about. His first encounter with the “rod” was a March 19, 1994 footage of an object flying at an incredible speed. since then, Mr. Escamilla has devoted his life to this phenomenon, building an army of catchers and believers and even devoting an Internet site to the subject.

Here are some RODS slides from roswellrods.com.

Are these RODS for real?

It’s been a long while since my last post, dear readers, but now I’m on line again.

I was in Laoag City from June 1 to 3 to do my share in the training of English teachers from the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union and Pangasinan.  This is part of the project of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Regional Office 1 dubbed as Higher Education Language Proficiency Program (HELPP).

The 5th Batch of Training stretched from May 26 to June 3, 2006 and was held at the Hotel Palazzo de Laoag.  Together with me in training 52 trainees were Ms. Marlina Lino of the Mariano Marcos State University in Batac, Ilocos Norte, Ms. Shirley Landingin of the Colegio de Dagupan in Dagupan City, Ms. Loraine Apostol of the Lorma Colleges in San Fernando City, La Union, Ms. Grace Hope Bautista of the Union Christian College in San Fernando City, La Union, Dr. Jessica Jimenez of the Pangasinan State University in Bayambang, Pangasinan, Mr. Ernesto Ader, Jr. of the Saint Louis College, San Fernando City, La Union, and Jennifer Pidong of the Northern Christian College, Laoag City.

The trainers and trainees were ably supported by the secretariat coming from CHED RO1 led by Ms. Cherrie Melanie Ancheta and the Program Head, Dr. Evelyn Pascua, CHED RO1 Director.

The 52 trainees of the 5th batch presented a culminating activity with a variety of dramatic, musical and creative presentations.  VIP’s from the higher education institutions in Laoag City were invited to grace the closing program where the trainees sang the Project HELPP’s theme song which they themselves wrote and composed.

The members of Project HELPP 5th Batch of Training are:

1. Relly Rachelle D. Abalos - Lyceum Northwestern U
2. Abela F. Alvis -  Great Plebeian College
3. Teresita F. Ancheta - PIMSAT Colleges
4. Norwina F. Anchiboy - Virgen Milagrosa U Foundation
5. Jessica S. Apayyo - Union Christian College
6. Lilia Angela G. Bambico - Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College
7. Rene E. Basbas - City Colleges of Urdaneta
8. Homer Noel P. Bautista - Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College
9. Nyra E. Berino - Pangasinan Memorial College
10. Eric B. Bumanlag - Ilocos Sur Community College
11. Bernadeth T. Bustillo - Data Center College of the Phil. (Vigan)
12. Imelda C. Caguioa - Vergen Milagrosa U Foundation
13. Myra Eugenia S. Castillo - Mariano Marcos State U
14. Rachelle T. Cayabyab - Philippine College of Science and Technology
15. Villamor O. Comilang, Jr.  - City Colleges of Urdaneta
16. Liza C. Corpuz - Asbury College
17. Elen P. De Ocampo - Great Plebeian College
18. Mee Jay A. Domingo - Mariano Marcos State U
19. Gemma A. Erguiza - Palaris College
20. Raul C. Estareja - Luzon Colleges of Science and Technology
21. Annalyn E. Fabia - PIMSAT Colleges
22. Dominador C. Fermin III - San Carlos College
23. Analyn S. Fernandez - Lyceum Northwestern U
24. Mark Lawrence A. Fernandez - Mariano Marcos State U
25. Rowena W. Galangco - Union Christian College
26. Genaline F. Garan - Northwestern U
27. Annie D. Gautani - Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College
28. Eleanor C. Gonzales - Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College
29. Elisa E. Hinola - PAMMA
30. Ralph B. Imbat - Colegio de Dagupan
31. Joselito T. Kitongan - ABE Int’l School of Business and Accountancy
32. Heidy M. Marcos - Northwestern U
33. Crispola G. Mendez - Great Plebeian College
34. Lotus O. Nasic - University of Luzon
35. Florence C. Onia - Colegio San Jose de Alaminos
36. Grace T. Ortez - Macro Colleges
37. Carmelita E. Panay - Polytechnic College of La Union
38. Arlene M. Pitpit - Data Center College of the Philippines (Laoag)
39. Ronnie G. Ragel - Metro Dagupan College
40. Rodalyn R. Ramirez - Philippine College of Science and Technology
41. Tony Lio C. Repollo - ABE International School of Business and Accountancy
42. Wlater A. Rosal - Divine Word College of Laoag
43. Mirasol F. Ruiz - Luna Colleges
44. Cecilia M. Saladino - Northen Christian College
45. Nicolas A. Secuya - Luna Colleges
46. Jennet C. Sison - Pangasinan Memorial College
47. Luz M. Soriano - Palaras Colleges
48. Roger F. Soriano - Pangasinan Memorial College
49. Rechelle R. Tigno - Lyceum Northwestern U
50. Cheryl Pilita T. Torricer - Ilocos Sur Community College
51. Verna V. Venezuela - Colegio de Dagupan
52. Maria Hazelle B. Viloria - Northern Christian College

More power to CHED RO1 and to its Project HELPP.

Up to this point, the issue of showing the movie version of the controversial The Da Vinci Code novel of Dan Brown is still a hot topic among Filipino leaders.  Everyone itches to say something to make the showing of the movie such a very big deal.  No less than Malacañang’s Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita has given his bias against the movie.

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