Raphael

  Every three seconds, the world loses enough forest to cover a football pitch and over the last century, we have destroyed half of our wetlands. As much as 50 percent of our coral reefs have already been lost and up to 90 percent of coral reefs could be lost by 2050, even if global warming is limited to an increase of 1.5°C. COVID-19 emergence and spread has highlighted how shrinking the area of natural habitat for animals, can create ideal conditions for pathogens – including coronaviruses – to spread. This World Environment Day, we focus on ecosystem restoration and its theme is “Reimagine. Recreate. Restore.” Ecosystem restoration means healing nature and reversing the damage caused by humans. This World Environment Day will also kick off the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), a global mission to revive billions of hectares, from forests to farmlands, from the top of mountains to the depth of the sea.   We don’t have much time left to save nature. Every mo...

  The Philippine Declaration of Independence occurred in Kawit, Cavite on 12 June 1898 where Filipino revolutionary forces under General Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed the sovereignty and independence of the Philippine islands from Spanish colonization after the latter was defeated at the Battle of Manila Bay on 1 May 1898                                                We celebrate our Independence every year, it was never a big deal for me because I was uninterested about this day, the only positive for me on Independence Day was that we had no school so I could spend the day at home playing my gadgets. But now I learned of the significance of celebrating this day. The things people had to sacrifice, just for us to enjoy our Independence today is enormous. That f...

  Like last year, the 2021 edition of Mother’s Day is set to be a little different to usual, with the government’s Covid restrictions again preventing most of the usual celebrations from taking place. A little history about this monumental day, most people know the occasion as “Mother’s Day” rather than the traditional “Mothering Sunday”, which owes much to the American festival later in the year. It was created in 1907 by Anna Jarvis, who held a memorial for her mother Ann Jarvis, a peace activist who treated wounded soldiers in the American Civil War. Her daughter campaigned for a day to honor the role played by mothers following Ann’s death, and the idea gained such traction that by 1911 all US states observed the holiday. In 1914, it had become so ubiquitous that President Woodrow Wilson declared Mother’s Day a national holiday “as a public expression of love and reverence for the mothers of our country”.             ...

  Let’s start of with some history to this celebration, The Naturales of Vigan chose “Tres de Mayo” of 1883 in honor of Apo Lakay of the Simbaan a Bassit as an act of thanksgiving for having saved Vigan from a deadly epidemic in 1756. It evolved from this and majestically transformed today as the most colorful and significant festival to Bigueños as it focuses on the remembrance of Apo Lakay’s deliverance as well as promoting the local fabric, Abel Iloco. Along with the street pageantry of the Binatbatan Street Dancing, it also emphasizes Agriculture with its Karbo festival, Calesa Parade and the Santacruzan.                   We continue to celebrate this historic event which took place a hundred years ago. This shows our dedication to keeping our culture alive and never forgetting what happened back then. Even though the pandemic rages on, e continue to celebrate but also follow the health safety ...

  Women Empowerment means power in the hands of women. It signifies that women should be given equal opportunity in every field, irrespective of any discrimination. Women Empowerment is the process that creates power in women to live a happy and respectable life in a society. Women are empowered when they can access opportunities in a variety of fields such as in education, profession, lifestyle, etc., without any limitations and restrictions. It also includes the authority to take decisions. When a woman makes a crucial decision, she feels empowered.   The first Biguenian that I interviewed owned a business that was hit hard during the pandemic. But in spite of that she did her best to start again and find ways to feed her family. Once the lockdown in Ilocos Sur eased, she started to sell delicacies from different provinces in Luzon. From Laoag to Manila she bought their delicacies and brought them to Vigan to sell them and it greatly benefitted her. The second and Last ...

                  This 3 rd Grading, I learned a lot because I want to learn and I force myself to understand the lessons because I love studying. The new normal has changed the way we learn, education’s new normal will not just be about operating in an environment that secures the health of students; nor will it be about completely transitioning to online modalities. Instead, it should be about using technology to increase efficiency in areas with the capacity to do so, while empowering learners and communities to create positive learning environments in which the student can grow.                   OUR DREAMS MUST CONTINUE, DESPITE THE PANDEMIC Life changed suddenly for the whole world when COVID-19 arrived, and with it came the need for people to quarantine themselves in their homes. Children and adolescents became imme...