Seminar on Online Journ; An Aspiring Event

The seminar, which was held today is a big help for the students in a way that it inspires every one of the students who attend the said event to look into the big picture and go on with one thing in mind, "the main thing is to keep the main thing, main thing."

Aside from the aesthetic visuals and informative discussion, the speaker had given a wonderful moral lesson to the students.

He said that if you had a dream follow it like a train and don't be derailed or else it will lead you to the wrong way, not to your dreams but to a miserable end of that goal, which in my own opinion is worth following and using especially to the students.

Just like what he said, many students who had experienced work had stopped studying after having lots of money.

Yes! Money is attempting in a point that when we have the chance to have it then why not let go of that opportunity.

People are very opportunistic especially when it comes to money hence money is one of the most important thing that a person might acquire because money is a need, without money you won't be able to buy anything.

He also said that most of the people think that instead of looking forward to work, mosty people think that their professions are mostly money matters, which i and the speaker are against with.

Money is important, but we want to have money for our own happiness, but are we happy if we have money yet we don't love what we are doing. If that is so, then a person might die being stressed.

Another lesson that can be acquired on the said event is that we should look at the big picture meaning we must have a goal and that goal should be broad yet specific.

(THIS IS MY REACTION TO THE SEMINAR today, Eddie Mark Serante)

Seminar on Online Journalism Held

A seminar on Online Journalism, with a theme of "the main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing", was held at the College of Communication (COC) AVR today at exactly 3:00 in the afternoon.

The said seminar was organized by the subject's professor Angie Borican and Jerico Javier with the help of Bachelor on Journalism (BJ) 3-1N.

The said event discussed the main basics on making web pages and the do's and dont's on creating website.

The speaker on the said seminar, who's a graduate of Bachelor in Fine Arts, discussed the importance of visual in a website thus it gives color and aesthetics to the articles.

The speaker showed humorous pictures and videos as examples to the topics wherein students' attention were catched by that main feature.

After the discussion, an open forum was conducted wherein the speaker entertain questions from the students and afterwards, the token of appreciation and a certificate was handed to the speaker by the online journ professors. (Eddie Mark Serante)

GREENPEACE Joins F5

A convocation for the joint commemoration of the founding anniversary of the five colleges in the Polytechnic University of the Philippines with the theme "F5: Propagating A Global Concern for the Environment" was held at the PUP gym on February 6, 2009 with Executive Director Von Hernandez of GREENPEACE South East Asia, an international environmental organization committed to saving Mother Earth from destruction, as the guest speaker.

It was attended by hundreds of students as well as the F5 deans: Dr. Nenita F. Buan of the College of Arts; Dr. Dominador L. Gamboa of the College of Business; Prof. Rosita E. Canlas of the College of Computer Management and Information Technology; Dr. Corazon P. San Juan of the College of Languages and Linguistics; and Dr. Liceria D. Lorenzo of the College of Office Administration and Business Teacher Education.

The event was a part of the F5's joint celebration of their founding anniversary to minimize too much disruption of classes should the commemoration he held one after the other. The F5's activities have started on February 2 with a flag raising ceremony followed by different activities held in the respective areas of the different colleges.

In the speech delivered by Exec. Dir. Hernandez, he talked about toxic pollution and climate change that the world is experiencing right now. He said that the planet earth is like a spaceship and we are the passengers. He also compared the earth to a bus running at full speed towards a concrete wall. "That is the present condition of the earth; moving very fast towards its destruction because man does not know how to protect the environment or simply does not care," Von explained.

He further said that modern society is sacrificing biodiversity for consumption but our consumption contributes largely to climate change brought about by toxic pollution of our environment. Industries and factories provide man with their necessities and luxuries using fuel that give off toxic waste in the air, water and land; thus destroying the environment and depleting our natural resources. It is said that approximately 760,000 tons of waste daily is produced in Metro Manila and 1.8 million pesos is spent for its waste management; still the problem of pollution remains.

He mentioned that we live in a linear society where the cycle of life is "extraction" from natural resources to make possible "production" of man's needs and luxuries. Next comes "consumption" after which will end in "waste" that definitely needs to be thrown away; so "waste disposal industry" comes in the picture followed by "waste regulation industry" and on and on. Unfortunately, anything taken from nature goes back to nature again in the form of waste which becomes man's biggest problem at present.

Because of this vicious cycle, the world seems to be experiencing an apocalypse now evidenced by the increasing frequency of floods, landslides, drought and extreme weather events. The world hears and reads about the unusual melting of polar caps and shrinking glaciers in the Antartica. This in turn results in rising sea level that is feared to erase lowlands in the future not to mention the shrinking forests and agriculture lands. These are irreversible loss to mankind because of man's mindless destruction of our ecosystem.

He presented an advertisement in the 1990's which aimed to attract foreign investors to the Philippines: To attract companies like yours, we have felled mountains, razed jungles, filled swamps, moved rivers, relocated towns to make it easier for you to do business here. Von looks at the ad as a very serious crime against Mother Nature. "We have only one planet so let us love and conserve its resources because once they are lost, we cannot replenish them anymore. If we go on playing deaf to the call of environmentalists, we will continue experiencing the impact of climate change and global warming which is in the offing. We must not rob our children and grandchildren of the resources and the good life they can possibly enjoy in the future," he admonished the crowd.

GREENPEACE is an international organization that started its campaign against nuclear weapon in Alaska, ships hunting for whales, deforestation, quarrying and policies harmful to the environment. Its campaign is non-stop in seeking for non-violent ways for effecting changes and urging the government not to look the other way so as not to see the evil when wealthy corporations submit policies beneficial to themselves only but harmful to the environment and to mankind.

The convocation ended with the closing remarks of Dr. Corazon P. San Juan, the College of Languages and Linguistics' dean, thanking the audience who listened until the very last number of the program and those who would walk out of the gymnasium wiser, more informed and concerned with the conservation of our Mother Earth.

COLs Juvenile Justice Extension

The Polytechnic University of the Philippines College of Law (PUP-COL) recently extended its partnership with the National Youth Commission (NYC) in implementing Republic Act No. 9344, otherwise known as the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006.

The said Republic Act signed on April 8, 2006 provides for the Youth Legal Aid Program (YLAP) which seeks to provide legal assistance to youths with pending cases and those who are deprived of their right to competent legal representation merely because of indigence.
The tie-up was spearheaded by Atty. Fernando M. Peña, Chief of the University Legal Counsel and a COL professor in Clinical Legal Education (CLED). All the third and fourth year PUP law students are required to put into practice the provisions of YLAP.

"We must make sure that these youth offenders are not mingled with the hard criminals because their being in their tender years make them very sensitive and volatile," said Atty. Peña when asked about the goal of the project.

YLAP covers cases within the original and exclusive jurisdiction of the Family Courts (Republic Act No. 8369 and Family Courts Act of 1997) where the offender is below 18 years of age. Under the law, there would be automatic suspension of the case if a youth offender at the time of the commission of crime is over nine (9) but under eighteen (18) years of age and he shall be endorsed to the custody of the DSWD.

At present, thirteen minor offenders have been assisted by the YLAP PUP-COL Chapter. The said law students visited and coordinated with the Department of Social Welfare and Development, family courts, police stations and detention centers to check on the records of the alleged youth offenders.

Dean Roseller S. Dela Peña supports the said endeavor of the college and he said that positive feedbacks were received from the law students' extension program.

The National Youth Commission (NYC) is the government's sole and lead youth policy making and coordinating agency created, existing and operating by virtue of Republic Act 8044.

The NYC is represented by its Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, Richard Alvin M. Nalupta.

Cake Fest Held in CTHRM Anniversary

A cake fest was held at the College of Tourism, Hotel and Restaurant Management (CTHRM) in commemoration of its month long celebration for its 9th founding anniversary which started last Febrauary 2.
The celebration started by a flag raising ceremony held at the Freedom Park in coordination with the College of Science. Afterwards, a thanksgiving mass and fellowship lunch was conducted at the Café Hasmin in M.H. del Pilar Campus Sta. Mesa, Manila.
One of the different types of academic and skill activities done by the said college is the Skills Summit 2009, an annual competition that displays HRM students’ skills in basic and advanced cooking, bartending, baking, and other related skills important in the field.
One of the most awaited events in the summit was the Cake Decorating Competition wherein the participants are from the 2nd year HRM students.
The competition had its three-day elimination last February 5 to 6 at HR 309, where 25 groups joined. These groups were divided into two to represent either of the two categories: boiled and fondant icing.
The theme of the competition was wedding, as its organizer Prof. Ma. Felisa Natad suggested. Prof Natad explained that wedding cakes are known to be elaborate, sophisticated, and challenging to make because they are difficult to style.
During the elimination, the cakes were evaluated by chosen faculty members of the HRM Department wherein the criteria centered on appearance, taste, texture and degree of difficulty in decorating.
Decorated cakes were displayed at the Buffet Table Skirting Exhibits at the ground floor lobby of the said campus.
The awarding ceremonies on the said event will be held on February 25. (Eddie Mark Serante)

PUP to Celebrate Arts Month

Polytechnic University of the Philippines will be lending its helping hands to the University Center for Culture and the Arts as they celebrate the Arts Month this February.
Several art workshops and seminars will be conducted in commemoration of the said month.
On February 20, there will be a book relaunching and discussion of Ricky Lee’s “Para kay B” in PUP Café Hasmin at exactly 1 pm. A visual arts exhibit will also be conducted by the same person portraying the characters of his book at PUP Hasmin Lobby. Sining Lahi Polyrepertory Drama, on the other hand, will be playing excerpts of the said book as a part of the re-launching of the book.
On February 23-24, a basic photography workshop and photo exhibit will be held on UCCA Training Room from 9 am to 5 pm. The said workshop is limited to 20 students per day and registration is on a first come first serve basis.
On February 26, a symposium entitled “Visual Arts: Revisiting Philippine Painting History” will be discussed at UCCA Training Room starting 1 pm.
And for the finale, a group painting session on UN Millennium Development Goals will be executed at PUP Antique House starting 9 am to 5 pm on February 27.
For questions and confirmations, you can contact UCCA at 713-73-69 for more information. (Eddie Mark Serante)

PUP will Fight on the 21st SCUAA

Though PUP failed to win as the champion in State Colleges and Universities Athletic Association (SCUAA) for the past years, it has never quit on believing that someday they will reach the highest position in the competition.

The said event will held its 21^st annual competition on January 26-31 with Eulogio Amang Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology (EARIST) as the host school.

The University shows confidence of well-trained and prepared athletes joining the sports competition with OIC Dean Celia Rilles assisted by Chairperson on Sports Jose Mel Bernarte of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines' College of Physical Education and Sports.

In an interview with the College of Physical Education and Sports (CPES) heads about the University's preparation for the SCUAA, they shared that PUP is doing a year-round training.

Athletes, new or old, are disciplined, trained, and prepared not just when a competition is near but as soon as they were accepted as official athletes of the school.

As preparations, the University joins invitational, open meet, goodwill tournaments and tune-up games. With these kinds of matches, PUP athletes take advantage of the experience to feel the competition more by playing against different schools and universities. Knowing the opponents' capacity and ability and meeting other athletes personally are good training for the players.

EARIST, RTU, Philippine State College of Aeronautics (PHILSCA), Technological University of the Philippines (TUP), Philippine Normal University (PNU), Marikina Polytechnic College (MPC), and PUP are the roster of state colleges and universities that will be competing for the following sports: softball, soccer, baseball, basketball, volleyball, beach volleyball, badminton, lawn tennis, table tennis, swimming, arnis, karate-do, taekwando, sepak takraw, chess, dance sports, and pep squad cheering

Chairperson Bernarte also revealed that PUP's greatest contender to win the SCUAA is last year's overall champion, Rizal Technological University (RTU). He also admitted that RTU is well-prepared for the competition and is aiming to keep the title.

Nevertheless, PUP will do its best. "With the support of PUP President Dante Guevarra, top administrative officials, and our alumni, we will win this year," Prof. Bernarte stated as he hopes to bag the SCUAA's overall championship title this year.

To strengthen the camaraderie and develop sportsmanship, SCUAA adapts the homw and away cocpet wherein various competitions will be held in different venues among the participating schools. For example, the Polytechnic University of the Philippines will be the venue for the swimming competition.

One of the much awaited feature in the opening ceremonies of SCUAA is the field demonstration participated in by 800 to 1000 P.E. students from each of the member schools.

Also, a sports exhibition among administrative employees and faculty members (ADFA) of the seven schools will be held a week before the opening.