Naragsac a Baro Tawen tay Amin!

Jimmy M. Agpalo, Jr.

Naimaldit iti baba ti chatmi ken Jimmy (editor ti Tawid News Magasin) ita nga aldaw, November 21, 2009:

Me: Comusta? ‘Niat napasamac iti daydiay DepEd Order 74 s.2009 wenno Multilingual Education Order?  No ditay darasen nga ipatungpal, amangan no lipatenda…

Jimmy Agpalo, Jr: awan pay damagko, manong…

Me: Gundaway coma daytoy a mangidur-as iti nacayanacan a pagsasao iti elementaria ken haiskul…

Jimmy Agpalo, Jr: maisuro iti elem grade 1-3, laeng ti nakaprograma

Me: Inusarco dagidiay pammaliiwmo maipapan iti in-inut nga ipupusay ti Ilocano idi maar-aramid ti draft ti DepEd 74…  Pre-school to Grade 3 ngem ipalubos ti Deped 74 ti panangusar iti nacayanacan a pagsasao cas pangsuporta iti Ingles wenno Filipino MOI agingga iti haiskul segun ti enclosures…

Jimmy Agpalo, Jr: kasta siguro, manong… nabayag ngamin a jak nagkompiuter gapu iti salun-atko… nasayaat met a…

Me: ‘niat kinnuamon, atanud? sapay ta napiaca ngaruden…

Jimmy Agpalo, Jr: naatakeak idi, dec 28, ket makatawenton… idi jak makapagna, itan, makapagnaakon… ngem maysa nga ima ti agenkod ta kagudua pay la a bagi ti paralisado… ngem dandanin umimbag, hehe!

Me: whoa, atanud, gangani-ac met nacasdiay about 10 years ago. ‘Imbag lat ketdin ta na-quadruple bypass a sigud ta di coma ket tumangtangad datao iti barsangan…

Jimmy Agpalo, Jr: bypass? heart? hmmn… siak ngamin ket highblood… isu met laeng… idi nagdikar ket awan kaduak ta sisiak…

Me: uray siac ket high blood isu nga agtumar datao iti innem a pills iti inaldaw. sa agbisekletaac iti about 12-15 miles inaldaw tapno mawatwat bassit agsipud ta diac met unay tangtanggaden ti bagoong ken lechon…

Jimmy Agpalo, Jr: napintas ti ehersisiom, mabalin a kastanto ti gamdek apaman a makarekoberak… saanak pay a makaadayo a magna… idi kalman ket umasibayak ken baket a magna, ta di dataon makaaddang, hehe!

Me: hope you have an excellent rehab program to return you to normal asap…
Jimmy Agpalo, Jr: thanks… nalpas ti 3mo a pt, ket ilut met ita.. plus di mamingga nga agas

Me: Pagyamanan unay iti adu ti ayat ken anus ni baketmo agsipud ta cas nasagrapco, dacdackel nga amang ti maited a pagimbagan dayta nga ayat ken anus ngem ti agas. Please take good care of yourself and I will stop here so you could rest–I know you need a lot of rest and baket-therapy…

Jimmy Agpalo, Jr: ok, manong… mapanak metten…

Pssst! LIBRE a Textbooks Ditoy!

Wen–saan a balbalatong–pudno a LIBRE a libro a mabalin nga aramaten a textbook wenno reperensia dagiti agad-adal, mangisursuro, ken dadduma pay para kindergarten, elementaria ken haiskul nga idiaya dagitoy sumaganad:

CK-12 Foundation [http://www.ck12.org/] – Iti agdama, adda 16 a textbook nga idiaya ti CK-12 Foundation iti benneg ti matematika ken siensia para haiskul. Sidadaan nga usaren dagitoy no adda Internet connection.  No saan, mabalin a saggaysaen a kopiaen ti tunggal libro iti USB (Universal Serial Bus) flash drive, compact flash drive, PC hard drive, portable wenno external hard drive, CD/DVD wenno ania man a digital media a mabalin a pangidulinan wenno pangilebbenan tapno aramaten no awan Internet connection.  Ken mabalin met nga iprenta no kayat a papel ti kopia a basaen. 

Pagimbagan dagitoy a liblibro ket no adda man agbaliw a linaon dagitoy, kas pagarigan ti saanen a panangibilang iti Pluto a planeta daytoy, mabaliwanda a dagus, saan a kas iti imprenta a libro a mabaliwan maminsan iti uneg ti lima wenno innem a tawen.

[Babaen dagiti pagannurotan ti bukod tayo a DepEd, maminsan a mabaliwan dagiti imprenta a textbooks iti uneg ti lima a tawen segun ti DepEd Memorandum No. 289, s. 2004.  Maysa pay, mabalin a sukatan ti format wenno ti linaonda segun ti keddeng a bunga ti “Conduct of Content Evaluation Workshops” nga angayen ti Instructional Materials Council Secretariat (IMCS) ti DepEd.]

Kangrunaanna, libre ti panangusar kadagitoy libro ti CK-12 Foundation,  libre ti panangkopia, libre ti panangbalbaliw iti urnos dagiti linaonda, saan a pakasikuran ti panang-update iti linaonda, ken libre ti panangiwaras kadagitoy no la ket suroten dagiti pagannurotan ti Creative Commons “attribution” license wenno CCSA [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/].

Mabalin nga urnosen a para sekundaria (primeranyo agingga iti kuarto-anyo) iti Filipnas dagitoy sumaganad a textbooks ti CK-12 Foundation:

Chemistry

Engineering:  An Introduction for High School

Geometry

NanoSense Student Materials

NanoSense Teacher Materials

People’s Physics Book Version 2

Single Variable Calculus

Trigonometry

21st Century Physics

Earth Science

Algebra I

Life Science

Biology

People’s Physics Book

Basic Physics

An Introduction to Solving Engineering Problems with Matlab

Padaanan dagiti libro a para iti kindergarten, elementaria ken dadduma pay a mainayon iti CK-12 Foundation website.

Connexions [http://cnx.org] – Libre a libro para ubbing, estudiantes ti kolehiyo, ken profesionales babaen dagitoy sumaganad a benneg:  Arts, Business, Humanities, Mathematics and Statistics, Science and Statistics, Social Sciences.

SOFIA [http://www.sofia.usra.edu/] – (Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy) – para kadagiti interesado iti siensia:  mangisursuro, agtrabaho iti museo, planetario, agsursurat maipapan iti panagadal iti siensia, astronomia, let-ang kdpy.

Open CourseWare Consortium [http://www.ocwconsoritum.org/] – Pagtitinnulongan ti nasurok dua gasut a pagadalan ken dadduma pay a mainaig a gunglo iti entero a lubong iti panangidiaya iti libre a naipablaak (digital) nga adalen.

Open Educational Resources [http://www.oercommons.org/] – libre nga adalen wenno aramaten a pangisuro iti uneg ti Internet.

Community College Consortium for Open Education Resources (CCCOER) [http://oerconsortium.org] – libre a libro (open textbooks) para kadagiti estudiante ken mangisursuro iti community colleges ken unibersidad.

iTunes U [http://www.apple.com/education/mobile-learning] – benneg ti iTunes Store ti Apple Computer [http://www.apple.com/].  Naurnong ditoy ti nasurok a 200,000 a libre nga educational media para estudiante, mangisursuro ken dagiti agtarigagay nga agsursuro a di tumapog iti uneg ti eskuwela.  Nupay saan a libro dagitoy no di ket audio (mp3) wenno video, mabalin nga usaren iti Internet wenno i-download iti PC, iPod, Ipod Touch, wenno iPhone tapno denggen wenno buyaen iti sango ti PC wenno uray sadino ti ayan.

Ti Salip Da Kalgaw Ken Burarog

Sarita ni Joel B. Manuel, Umuna a Gunggona, Salip iti Sarita a Para Ubbing, naipablaak iti Bannawag, Agosto 24, 2009.

Napintas ti kastoy a sarita, ta impluensiaanna wenno akayenna dagiti agbasa iti lubong ti imahinasion, ket iti kasta, makuldit met ken maabbukay ti creative mind tunggal maysa. No ngamin naynay a maaramat daytoy a creative mind, mangitunda iti asinoman nga agbalin a positibo ken produktibo – nga agaramid iti pagsayaatan ken pagimbagan ti sapasap. Isut’ gapuna a no mabalbalin, ipaay kadagiti ubbing ti kasisin-awan amin a bunga ti pampanunot.

Kasapulan ti panagraira dagiti kakastoy a sarita, saan laeng a pangray-aw wenno mangray-aw ti motibona, no di ket mangipalagip nga adda pay napatpateg a naibudi nga akem ti literatura a nasken nga ipaayan iti pammateg.

NO APAY a naaddaan iti dua a paniempo ti Kailokuan.

Awan ti makuna a paniempo idi ta inaldaw nga agtudo, inaldaw met nga aginit. Maysa a paraiso ti Amianan. Iturayan ni Apo Lung-aw ken addaan iti dua nga annak, da Apo Kalgaw ken Apo Burarog. Ay-ayatenna unay dagiti annakna, ket isudanto ti sumukat nga agturay inton mauma.

Napanunot ni Apo Lung-aw a tapno saan a tumanor nga awan ti ammoda dagiti annakna, nasken nga isaganana ti akem tunggal maysa. Narigaten a masuruanna dagiti tao ngem saan dagiti annakna. Saan ngamin a nakibibiang dagiti annakna, ket daydiay laeng nagpaspasiar, nagpininnalastog ken nagay-ayam ti ammoda.

Pinaayaban ni Apo Lung-aw dagiti baliodong nga annakna ken ni Pitopit tapno mabadangan daytoy a mangituray iti Bantay Kilang ta adu kanon ti panawen a panangiwanwanna kadagiti tao. Ngem saan nga agkinnaawatan dagiti annak iti pagturayan, no makannigid wenno makannawan. Nasken ngarud suboken ni Apo Lung-aw dagiti dua.

Inturongna dagiti dua iti leleggakan ta sadiay a nakapakleb dagiti tallo a sinublan ni higante nga Aran. Dayta ti bagkaten tunggal maysa nga ipan iti tengnga ti Kailokuan.

Gapu ta di nairuam iti rigat ni Apo Kalgaw, pinatudonna ni Palayupoy a mangbagkat. Ngem saan a makuti ti naud-udi ti sinublan.Nakiinnuman ni Apo Kalgaw ken ni Bagiw a mabaybayadan ket linaklaka laeng daytoy nga impullasit ti sinublan. Dayta ti impakita ni Kalgaw iti amana. Ngem kuna ti ama a nalaing a mangusar iti gayyem toy anakna ket insaldana ti masakbayan. Dayta ti gapuna no apay nga ay-ayamen ti Bagiw ti Kailokuan.

Saan a nagpaudi ni Apo Burarog. Inayabanna ni Karayan a gayyemna, ngem saan a kinabaelan daytoy ti sinublan. Isu nga inayabanna ni Layus a mabaybayadan ket dagus met daytoy nga induron ti sinublan iti amianan ti Bantay Simminublan. Ngem di naayatan ti ama ta insalda ni Burarog ti masakbayan. Dayta ti rason no apay malayus ti Kailokuan.

Indeklara ni Apo Lung-aw a tabla ti laban. Iti sumaruno a rikus, saanda a pabadangan. Agkinnaadu dagiti dua nga annak iti maanges nga angin. Ngem naamiris ni Apo Lung-aw a maustel la ketdi amin a nagbiag no awanen ti angsenda isu a pinasardengna dagiti dua.

Simmaruno ti innaduan iti masusop a danum. Tunggal maysa adda abuyna a mangabak. Naparkagan dagiti waig ken karayan, dagiti laeng dadakkel ti di naabbatan. Kaslan nagpuoran ti Kailokuan. Karandikang amin a karandikang. Nakayaman ni Apo Lung-aw idi sumangpet ni Pitopit a senial ti gibus ti salip.

Rinukod ni Apo Lung-aw ti danum a nainum tunggal maysa. Ngem agpadada a dua, awan surok ken kurangna. Inkeddeng ni Apo Lung-aw a maguddua ti Bantay Kilang. Mapan ken ni Kalgaw ti tangatang, ken ni Burarog met ti daga ken kadandanuman.

Nagdir-i da Apo Burarog ken Apo Kalgaw. Ket nagtulagda pay a rambakan a tinawen ti salisalda. Isu nga adda dua a paniempo ti Kailokoan.

Chinese lanterns aglow in a summer garden

To a GI (genuine Ilocano), the warm, colorlful Chinese lantern-like green and ripe mix of paria hanging from the arbor of green paria vines in the middle of summer and those million tiny yellow flowers individually sitting on tendril-like filaments, each swinging playfully when the flowers are buzzed by  honeybees from dawn to dusk–well, the view is absolutely a mesmerizing feast for the eyes.  You could almost see the ripe fruits glow or hear their laughter when they burst open with their teeth-like red-coated seeds which eventually fall to the earth and sleep there through the sometimes harsh winter and, in late spring as if by clockwork, reawaken and begin the process of rebirth.

Pinacbet, anyone? Or ginisa with mungo beans teased by a sprinkling of shrimps or succulent lechon, bagnet you say?  Chicken tinola with tender paria leaves–ah, that soup is all the therapy you need to feel reborn and energized!

MLE: addang para iti pannakapasayaat ti edukasion dagiti ubbing

Salaysay ni Fred Ilac, Jr.

Nabayagen nga awan damagko maipapan ti mapaspasamak iti uneg dagiti pagadalan iti pagiliantayo. Ti ammok, ti wagas a pannakaisursuro dagiti ubbing ket kas met la idi datao ti damona ti timmapog iti elementaria.

Lagiplagipek no dadduma, natarnaw pay laeng dagidi a panawen iti utekko, nupay dandanin gudua ti dekada idi damok a mabaddekan ti uneg ti pagadalan. Iti nalengleng ken nanumo a lugar a nagtaudak, awan pay laeng ti kinder wenno pre K idi datao ti ubbing. Adda ketdi dagiti makuna idi a paspasurot iti grado uno, kaipasanganna ngata iti matawtawag a kinder.

Innem ti tawenko idi nagpilitak a mapan agbasa, adu nga ay-ayo ni nanangko tapno saanak a kumarayo kadagiti mapan ageskuela nga ubbing, ta ammona a saanakto met laeng a maawat. Kurang la ngaruden ti edadko iti rebbengna nga awatenda, basbassitak pay ngem kadagiti ubbing a kapadpadak ti tawenna. Ngem diak ininggaan ni nanangko nga inud-ud-udan, agingga a pinagustuannak a napan dimmatag iti maestra dagiti maikamaysa. Nagpakpakaasi a bay-annak kadi a sumsumrek ta uray ket inton agbayag, maumaakto met laeng.

Chancellor Orlando Almoite: Agsaotayo iti Ilokano

Nalabit ammo tayo no ania ti pacaigapuan ti panangisingasing ni Dr. Orlando Almoite, pangulo ti cangrunaan nga universidad ti North La Union, iti intay panagsao iti Ilocano:  madlaw na ti in-inut a panangparucma ti Filipino, ti nailian a pagsasao, iti bucod tay nga Ilocano. Basaen:

Indarirag ni Dr. Orlando Almoite, chancellor ti Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU) North La Union Campus iti Brgy. Sapilang, Bacnotan, ti panagdadanggaytayo nga Ilokano a mangipateg iti nariingantayo a pagsasao.

“Ikagumaantayo ti ag-Ilokano iti ania man a mayannatup a gundaway tapno agtalinaed ti kinasingedtayo nga aglalangen, kas maysa a madaydayaw a puli,” imbunannagna iti sango dagiti opisial ti GUMIL La Union (GLU) a nagtataripnong idi Agosto 1 iti board room ti DMMMSU.

An’a, M’estra, Ilokanonton ti Pangisuroyo ken Ambotko?

Joel B. Manuel, Principal, Banna National High School

Ni JOEL B. MANUEL, GUMIL Ilocos Norte

Tapno nalalaing nga amang ti ubing nga agbasa, rumbeng a ti pagsasao iti balayda ti mausar iti pannakaisuro kenkuana iti eskuelaan…

AN’A MANEN dayta baro a pagalagadan a pinirmaan ni Sekretario Jesli Lapus ti Departamento ti Edukasion, kunam, Komari?

Wen, isu dayta ti DepEd Order No 74, s. 2009 a napetsaan iti Hulio 14, 2009. Institutionalizing Mother Tongue Based Multilingual Education ti paulona.

Iti ababa a pannao, MLE wenno Mother Language Education, Komari. Isu daytoy ti panangisuro a mausar ti nakayanakan a pagsasao ni Ambotmo— a kayatna a sawen dayta pagsasaotayo nga Ilokano wenno Iluko. Kayatna met a sawen dayta a kadagiti Bikolano nga ubbing, Bikol ti mausar iti pannakaisuroda; dagiti met Pampanggo, Kapampangan; dagiti Cebuano, Binisaya met. No ania ti lengguahe ti ubing a nariinganna, isu met ti mausar a pangisuro kenkuana.

gumilfilipinas.com & “Balikas” double launch

By Sherma Benosa
GUMIL Filipinas PRO
Aug. 23, 2009

GUMIL Filipinas President Eli Raquel

GUMIL Filipinas (GF) or Gunglo Dagiti Mannurat nga Ilokano iti Filipinas ken iti Ballasiw Taaw, the premier association of Ilocano writers with chapters in the different Ilocano-speaking provinces in the country as well as overseas, launches its official website, http://gumilfilipinas.com,  August 22, 2009 at the residence of Judge Vivencio Baclig in Quezon City (http://www.ustream.tv/flash/video/2032109).

Under the leadership of recently elected GUMIL Filipinas president, Elizabeth M. Raquel, gumilfilipinas.com features news about the organization and its chapters, its activities and new publications. It also contains literary pieces written by bona fide members of the association, as well as essays and features about writing in general and the Ilocano literature in particular.

GF also re-launches its official newsletter, Balikas . Edited by award-winning Ilocano writers, Balikas is an eight-page tabloid-sized quarterly that features news about GF activities, Ilocano literary pieces written by GF members, as well as features and essays on the Ilocano arts and culture.

The GF Editorial Committee which oversees both the website and the newsletter is now accepting articles for publication. Preferred articles for publication in Balikas are original and unpublished Ilocano works, especially poems, essays, and news and pictures related to GUMIL. For the website, the committee accepts published Ilocano poems, short stories, and essays about Ilocanos and GF.

For details, please contact Ariel S. Tabag, Editorial Committee chair, at mobile number 0918-7458792 or email gumil.filipinas@gmail.com.

Mangrugi iti Bukod a Lengguahe

Daytoy ti “Ti Makunami” column ni Efren A. Inocencio, GUMIL, Ilocos Norte, a naipablaac iti Bannawag idi Mayo 18, 2009, sacbay ti iruruar ti DepEd Order No. 74 [INSTITUTIONALIZING MOTHER TONGUE-BASED MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION (MLE)] idi Julio 14, 2009:

Mainaig daytoy iti pammaliiw ti dadduma a manmanon kadagiti ubbing nga Ilokano ti makaammo pay nga agbasa kadagiti naisurat iti lengguahetayo nga Iluko, kas koma iti naisurat iti BANNAWAG.

Kas sungbat daytoy, usarenmi man ti bukodmi a bagi a kas pagarigan.  Akuenmi a ti gapuna nga ammomi ti agbasa iti BANNAWAG ket gapu ta adda ikitmi nga aglaklako idi ubbingkami pay iti BANNAWAG.  Wen, makipagbasbasakami iti ilakona a BANNAWAG.

Madakamatmi pay nga idi adda evaluation ti library kadagiti eskuelaan, imbinglaymi met dagiti urnongmi a BANNAWAG.  Napaliiwmi sadiay a kaaduanna met nga ubbing ket mayat nga agukag iti BANNAWAG!  Saanda laeng nga agpapada iti ugali nga agukag.  Addada agbuybuya laeng.  Adda agbasa laeng iti komiks.  Adu met dagitay talaga nga aguper.  Adda pay dagiti bumulod iti yawidna a basaen.

Mainaig itoy, adda dua a pada a mannurat iti BANNAWAG a nakasarsaritami, da Arnold Pascual Jose (Bacsil North, Laoag City) ken Federico “Fred” T. Ilac, Jr. (Sinait, I.S. ken New Jersey, U.S.A.) a nangisingasing nga adda koma libre a maited a kopia ti BANNAWAG kadagiti library tapno umadu dagiti ubbing a makasursuro nga agbasa iti BANNAWAG.  Kunada a napintas koma daytoy a proyekto dagiti nadumaduma a sanga ti GUMIL Filipinas ken dagiti dadduma pay nga organisasion dagiti mannurat nga Ilokano.

Annamonganmi ti singasing da Appo Jose ken Ilac.  No ngamin makapagbasa ti ubing iti bukodna a lengguahe, nalaklaka laeng a maawatanna ti basbasaenna; ngarud, matakuatanna ti imas wenno ganas ti panagbasa.  Pagangayanna, maipaugalinton kenkuana ti panagbasa ket saanto laeng metten a dagiti naisurat iti bukodna a lengguahe ti basbasaenna.  Di kad’ dakkel a dur-asan ti utek ti ubing daytoy?

Ket mangrugi ti amin iti literatura a naisurat iti bukodna a lengguahe.

DepEd Order No. 74 s. 2009 issued 7/14/2009

INSTITUTIONALIZING MOTHER TONGUE-BASED
MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION (MLE)

To:
Undersecretaries
Assistant Secretaries
Bureau DirectorsDirectors of Services, Centers and Heads of Units
Regional DirectorsSchools Division/City Superintendents
Heads, Public and Private Elementary and Secondary Schools

1.        The lessons and findings of various local initiatives and international studies in basic education have validated the superiority of the use of the learner’s mother tongue or first language in improving learning outcomes and promoting Education for All (EFA).

2.        Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education, hereinafter referred to as MLE, is the effective use of more than two languages for literacy and instruction. Henceforth, it shall be institutionalized as a fundamental educational policy and program in this Department in the whole stretch of formal education including pre-school and in the Alternative Learning System (ALS).

3.        The preponderance of local and international research consistent with the Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda (BESRA) recommendations affirms the benefits and relevance of MLE. Notable empirical studies like the Lingua Franca Project and Lubuagan First Language Component show that:

a.  First, learners learn to read more quickly when in their first language (LI);

b.  Second, pupils who have learned to read and write in their first language learn to speak,  read, and write in a second language (L2) and third language (L3) more quickly than those who are taught in a second or third language first; and

c.  Third, in terms of cognitive development and its effects in other academic areas, pupils taught to read and write in their first language acquire such competencies more quickly.

4.        Relatedly, the study of the Department of Education Region IV-B (MIMAROPA) entitled “Double Exposure in Mathematics: a Glimpse of Mother Tongue First” has provided the local validation of the fundamental observation that top performing countries in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) are those that teach and test students in science and math in their own languages.

5.        All Regional Directors and Superintendents are hereby enjoined to promote and encourage local participation in the following essential support systems of the MLE within the framework of School-Based Management (SBM) with the support of the local government units:

a.  Formulation of region-specific schemes_. to recognize and institutionalize the initiatives of schools and localities through appropriate incentives or policy support in bringing about and developing MLE towards financial and instructional self-reliance and excellence;

b.  Provisions of orientation and training opportunities along with exposure to successful models of MLE that have been developed. The gradual integration of MLE in all subject areas and at all grade levels (beginning in preschool and continuing by adding a grade level per year) in the school improvement plans (SIPS) and district ALS program is likewise enjoined effective immediately;

c.  The utilization of Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE), school board funds, and other education improvement funds is hereby authorized for the planning and implementation of MLE programs in the following sequence of priority: (1) advocacy work and community mobilization; (2) development of a working orthography of the local language; (3) MLE orientation and teachers training; (4) developing, printing and distributing teachers’/facilitators’ guides; (5) reading materials and other instructional materials; (6) development of assessment tools; and (7) evaluation and monitoring of learning outcomes; and

d.  An MLE technical working group at the regional and division levels shall be established to facilitate MLE planning, monitoring and evaluation.

6.        During the first three years of implementation, the enclosed “MLE Bridging Plan” may be used for reference for both teaching and curriculum development. For the ensuing years, adjustments may be made based on monitoring and evaluation results.

7.        For all learning programs of the Alternative Learning System (ALS), the learners’ first language shall be used as primary medium and thereafter, depending upon the previous level of functional literacy and pedagogical requirements of accreditation and equivalency, the Bureau of Alternative Learning System (BALS) shall determine the suitable second and third languages that will maximize the educational benefits and competencies of the ALS clients. Enclosed is the Fundamental Requirements for a Strong Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MLE).

8.        This Department with the help of MLE specialists shall incorporate an MLE certification process and retain the privilege of establishing MLE certification procedures in order to maintain quality MLE programs wherever they may be implemented.

9.        All orders, memoranda, issuances, rules and regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Order are hereby rescinded, amended, or modified accordingly.

10.      Immediate dissemination of and compliance with this Order is directed.

(Sgd.) JESLI A. LAPUS
Secretary

Encls.:

Re-envisioning Iloco Literature

By Aurelio Solver Agcaoili

(Talk prepared for the 2009 Strategic Planning Seminar, GUMIL La Union, National College of Science and Technology, San Fernando, La Union, July 4, 2009)

Introduction

Please allow me to start by first thanking Ms. Djuna Alcantara, your most able leader, for this kind invitation.

This is my second time to come to your organization’s gathering, the first at the launching of your creative writing program in Ilokano in tandem with your province’s state university some two years ago.

CHARICE: Walking on Cloud 9

Killing Me Softly With His Song

Today’s Philippine Daily Inquirer ran this headline from its ‘Pacquiao Files’:  “Pacquiao mulls singing anthem in next bout“.

Hmmm, isn’t that like killing his opponent, whoever he will be, even before Round 1?

“Reacting to the brouhaha caused by Martin Nievera’s rendition of the national anthem in Pacquiao’s fight against Ricky Hatton last May 3,” the Inquirer said, “the boxing champ had a good laugh at the suggestion that he himself should sing the national anthem.”

Pacquiao, an aspiring singer who already had released two albums, said, “Pwede naman siguro ‘yun, sa susunod ako kumanta…”  By the way, when Pacquiao’s hands are not wrapped in boxing gloves landing with surgical precision on some opponent’s glass chin on an equal opportunity basis, his fingers can do some artistry on his guitar.

Actually, Pacquiao maintained that he saw nothing wrong with Nievara’s rendition. “Sa tingin ko walang mali,” he said. He also said those who slammed Nievera’s rendition were “pumapapel lang. Yung mga yun, sumasakay lang para makilala. Parang mga KSP [kulang sa pansin].”

The Inquirer also noted that other singers have signified their intention to sing the national anthem at one of Pacquiao’s fights. They are teen sensation Charice Pempengco and former Miss Saigon star Lea Salonga.

Well, now, should Pacquiao ever get serious about flirting with history by being the first ever to sing “Lupang Hinirang” at his next fight, I can’t begin to imagine his next opponent making two-time Grammy Award winner Roberta Flack his least fav singer:

Lupang Hinirang II: Much Ado About Nothing

I know we have these types in the Philippines:  sourpuss splattered over an exquisite da Vinci painting.  I mean these types who are wound up so tight such that when you have them squeeze something, anything in their sphincter you come out with a diamond!

Where in the world do you have the singing of the National Anthem so legislated–with penalties if the singing or “appropriate” rendition is violated–as in the Philippines? And yet you still have some–including some big names–sing it like a dirge instead of a march as it was intended–and legislated?

I, for one, don’t see any reason for Martin Nievera to apologize for singing “Lupang Hinirang” the way he did at the Pacquiao-Hatton fight in Las Vegas on May 2, 2009.  Did Nievera put a bit of his personal touch to it?  Yup, but who doesn’t? Why, even the masters delighted on hopscotching on variations on a theme.  Frankly, I thought Nievera did a beautiful, powerful rendition of the Philippine National Anthem in the originally intended march beat, with such fervor to boot.  It was truly moving, except for Hatton who, for what seemed like more than a few moments, remained scaringly motionless on his back on the floor following that devastating fight-ending blow on his chin with some 8 seconds left in the second round.

And dang, if that fervor could carry on and rouse Manny Pacquiao to finish business with Ricky Hatton in 2 rounds instead of Freddie Roach’s estimated 3 (did Pacquiao really act with dispatch because he just didn’t want to scratch an early dinner appointment?), I’m all for it!

Mabuhay!

And down with Teddy Atienza (Chief, Heraldry Section, National Historical Institute), the sourpuss in the above video and his ilk!  You’ve got better use of your time and whatever, sir, instead of trying your best to stifle talent, or injecting yourself as the sour note to the best Pacquiao masterpiece ever.