Raphael

  This fourth and last grading I learned a lot about building sitemaps, and I also improved in grammar and mathematics. My one and only problem this grading was time, I did not have enough time to enjoy this grading. There was no solution to this problem, it is very sad that I had to end my school year not having much fun. But that’s life you cannot always win. Moving on, I hope there will be more sunny days than cloudy ones, I am graduating from grade 10 and I would like to thank the teachers who gave their time and effort to give me knowledge this entire schoolyear. Thank you very much  

  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...

  A pathogen is a bacterium, virus, parasite, or fungus that can cause disease within the body. Each pathogen is made up of several subparts, usually unique to that specific pathogen and the disease it causes. The subpart of a pathogen that causes the formation of antibodies is called an antigen. The antibodies produced in response to the pathogen’s antigen are an important part of the immune system. You can consider antibodies as the soldiers in your body’s defense system. Each antibody, or soldier, in our system is trained to recognize one specific antigen. We have thousands of different antibodies in our bodies. When the human body is exposed to an antigen for the first time, it takes time for the immune system to respond and produce antibodies specific to that antigen.   In the meantime, the person is susceptible to becoming ill.   Once the antigen-specific antibodies are produced, they work with the rest of the immune system to destroy the pathogen and stop the disea...

  The Lenten season begins with Ash Wednesday and ends approximately six weeks later on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday. Devoted Christians observe a period of fasting, repentance, moderation, self-denial, and spiritual discipline. The purpose of the Lenten season is to set aside time for reflection on Jesus Christ, to consider his sacrifice, his life, death, burial, and resurrection.   Because of the lockdowns, the way we honor Christ is not the same. But the end goal is still the same, it’s just that we do it in different ways this time. Instead of going to church, we watch online masses, during Ash Wednesday we only sprinkle the ash on our heads unlike before when it was placed on our forehead. As Pope Francis has said about the pandemic, “We do not come out of a crisis the same as before: either we come out of it better, or we come out of it worse.” Perhaps then, during Lent this year, we can take some time to reflect on how the pandemic has affected us...

                                             ( (Above) Newspaper in the 1940s detailing the fall of Bataan                                                                                                                                                           After the bombing of the Japanese on Pearl Harbor, operations against the Philippines, Malaya and Hong Kong began on December 8, 1941. Japan’s Pacific Conquest had begun. Japan als...

  During the month of March, we give a little extra attention to all the amazing accomplishments of strong, determined women. Women should have the same rights as men and be free and not enslaved by men. We are all human and there is no difference.                   Women should be empowered and be able to express what they want. Being able to vote, having the same rights as a man and being treated the same. These are things that should have been in place for a long time but because of standards back then they were not. Now that we are in the 21 st century it is enjoying seeing that everybody is equal, no one is higher than another. God created us and he did not look at one sex higher than the other, in his eyes we are all the same and we should continue that.                   Empowering girls and women is powerful...

  I thoroughly enjoyed studying this school year, especially in the 2nd grading. After a long Christmas break, I was back in shape to return studying. Before the Christmas break, I was already tired over the number of modules I had to answer so it was a genuinely nice thing to have a break.                   I learned a lot this second grading especially in my Math and ICT. I started getting tutored in math so that hopefully I would understand my lessons better. In ICT, I learned the use of HTML and it was fun. I often made many mistakes while doing it but, in the end, it was all worth it. I did not face as many problems as I did before. I had already adjusted and was not stressed out by my modules.   I guess the main problem I still have is that I sometimes overthink when I see my modules. I tend to panic when I see a lot but when I start answering them, they are not that hard. Hopefully, I wi...

  Love is in the air as the much-awaited Valentine's Day will be celebrated by couples of all ages on February 14. Because there is an ongoing pandemic right now, Valentines this year will be different from the previous years.                   This past year, couples have experienced major restrictions on "normal" dating activities while following stay-at-home orders, and social distancing. We have to commend the Couples that are still together during this pandemic, even without the pandemic they face numerous struggles. With the pandemic, they go through even more struggles. Love prevails in the end, the couples who stayed together prove that their commitment to each other cannot be broken by a pandemic. Valentines is that special day of the year when we can show our affection to our girlfriend/boyfriend. It can feel disappointing to not be able to make one day a year special with your partner. T...

Ilocos Sur is a lovely province located in the northern area of Luzon. It is a region wealthy in culture that addresses the ancient Spanish and Filipino heritage. To show and impart their fortunes to the entire world, local people imagined a celebration that features these cultural traditions and they considered it the "Kannadiwan Celebration".                   Keeping traditions alive is great and it is a reminder to future generations of the people that have come before them. keeping traditions alive proves to be difficult. Diversity in life is important for introducing new ideas and ways of being. However, a negative consequence of diversity is the lack of sanctity attached to traditions. Some believe that traditions are outdated or reflect a value system that is not applicable in today's world. The Ylocos Kannawidan festival promotes the product of each and every municipality. The celebration still...

  Celebrating Vigan’s fiesta amidst the CoVid-19 pandemic shows just how important culture is to us. Understandably because of the ongoing pandemic the festival is not as festive as the previous years. It is commendable that we were still able to celebrate this year.                   Culture and tradition are what defines our people, it is what makes us different from other races. These two things are very integral for the next generations, it is what they will remember us by. Traditional celebrations are some of the core angles of any culture. Whether it may be a wedding or a national recognition, our celebrations are woven firmly into our general social identity. When we move abroad, a part of the excitement of living in a new culture is exploring and joining within the celebration of the local holidays and traditions of our adopted country. A few of these encounters will give memories that will...

  When the clock hit midnight on Jan. 1, 2020, a new decade began. As New Yorkers prepared for the famed ball to drop-in Times Square and folks across the U.S. were going about their day Tuesday, other cities worldwide were already ringing in the New Year. In Australia, revelers celebrated the moment with fireworks by the Sydney Opera House and above Melbourne’s skyline. Many in Seoul saw paper lanterns. Singapore’s luxurious Marina Bay celebrated with fireworks. In Hong Kong, pro-democracy protests continued.   January 1,2021 is a special day for the people as this day is the beginning of the new year. You would expect that this year would have the same amount of celebration as 2020’s new year but this time it is different. Because of the ongoing pandemic, most of the world had a silent new year. As the world said goodbye to 2020, communities held countdowns and celebrations but saw fewer jubilant crowds in traditional gathering spots. I hope that the coronavirus pandemic...

  The Earth is 4.51 billion years old, and we have been around for six million years. For millennia’s our species has relied on the environment for Food, water, and clothing. But for the past 200 hundred years, we have taken our environment for granted. A population boom in the 1960s depleted more resources form our environment. A worldwide famine occurred in the 1970s and 1980s due to overpopulation.                   Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero, and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful c...

                               Having nationwide simultaneous earthquake drills is a good idea. This will help others to know what to do when an earthquake hits and it checks on how prepared we are for earthquakes. We are long overdue for a massive earthquake, so we should start preparing for it. It isn’t a question of will it happen but when?                   A lot of people do not take earthquake drills seriously and most of the time they do not even follow the proper steps. When an earthquake strikes, we should Duck, Cover and Hold and when the shaking stops, move to an open space. People will get injured when an earthquake happens, it is the job of first responders to move quickly and ensure the safety of the civilians. Many people must work together to prevent casualties from happeni...

                                                                    Nothing beats going to school The style of education during the pandemic is something new to me. Although I have heard of it before, I never really tried it and I was impressed by it. I believe that the quality of education during the pandemic has gone down. But it can still be the same as before if we try harder.                   Because studying has gone online, students do not have to work as hard as before. The tasks given to them weekly become more predictable and limited. But without face to face I doubt that the students will learn anything this school year. Going to school is the best public policy tool available to raise skills. Wh...

                                                              Crossroads                 The Philippines is at a point where one mistake might lead to the loss of our opportunity to thrive. Global superpowers developed after the end of World War II and they are still here but difference is that they have increased and choosing which one to side with is difficult but siding with the wrong one might lead to a devastating outcome for us.   Resilient is defined as “able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions”. In order for us to become a resilient country we need to start from the basics, solidify our foundation. For a third world country like us to succeed, we need help from these superpowers. We need...