Saturday, August 11, 2007

ARNEL BANASAN AND MAYOR CAMILO LAMMAWIN VISIT KASC

PEP TALK WITH THE YOUTH. Acclaimed authority on Cultural Music Arnel Banasan, and City Mayor Camilo Lammawin address college students during the Scholars’ Orientation organized by Mrs. Rosalina Gunaban, Scholarship Coordinator of KASC. (M-16)

KASC ELEVATED TO LEVEL III-A

KASC Elevated To Level III-A
by Marciano A. Paroy Jr.

Kalinga-Apayao State College has recently gotten the nod of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) when the two agencies elevated the state college to Level III-A from its previous Level II.
SUC leveling (for State Colleges and Universities) is periodically conducted by DBM and CHED to evaluate the performance of SUCs along the areas of Instruction, Research, Extension, and Management of Resources.
“This leveling process gives the concerned SUC a solid revelation of how far the school has gone in terms of achieving its mandates,” Mrs. Perfelia Buen, Board Secretary explained. “As for KASC, we have attained an overall score of 20, fifteen points away from the maximum points of 35.”
In the evaluation summary, KASC scored well in the area of Management of Resources – which is not surprising, considering that the state college has been awarded this second quarter for being Very Satisfactory in the field of Physical and Financial Management, a clear proof of President Eduardo Bagtang’s astute handling of resources and finances.
“What is good with SUC leveling is that it tells us the real story of all our endeavors,” Mrs. Buen further explained. “The rating we have clearly shows that we have a long way to go before we reach the highest level of IV. The College President has to continue with the direction he has taken in order to reach the highest level.”
*****
Alsiyang, Barcellano Win Campus Top Posts
The two campuses of the State College conducted simultaneous election for two sets of officers in the KASC Faculty Club. Mr. Placido Alsiyang Jr. won the Presidency for the Dagupan Campus, while Dr. Emerson Barcellano won in the Bulanao Campus.
The two Presidents shall face each other for the plum position of Federation President – which shall earn the winner a seat in the KASC Board of Trustees, representing the Faculty. Dr. Emerson Barcellano, as the incumbent Faculty Trustee, will have to woo voters from the camp of Mr. Alsiyang in order to retain his seat in the BOT when the two sets of officers shall federate this month.
The Dagupan Campus set of officers under Mr. Alsiyang includes Vice President Paulino Reyes, Secretary Leonora Bruno, Treasurer Virginia Petang, Auditor Christopher Vargas, P.R.O.Jessie Grace Martin, Business Managers Steve Uy and Fortunato Tenay.
Dr. Barcellano’s team in the Bulanao Campus includes Vice President Herbert Imatong, Secretary Bernadette Aggabao, Treasurer Helen Bais, Auditor Letty Viernes, P.R.O. Agnes Balawan, Business Managers Rafael Padre and Marilou Adora, Sentinels Esmerlyn Bayangan and Solomon Lao-aten.

PNRC, KPHO BRING IEC CAMPAIGN TO KASC




PNRC, KPHO Bring IEC Campaign to KASC
By Marciano A. Paroy Jr.


Ms. Glorina Diaz-Reyes, Kalinga Chapter Administrator of the Philippine National Red Cross, led the team of communicators from various agencies that have converged to launch an information-education-communication (IEC) campaign on blood donation and the battle against dengue and rabies.
The PNRC-led team, with representatives from the Department of Health, Bureau of Fire, Department of Interior and Local Government, Office of Civil Defense, and other line agencies, tagged KASC students as their audience during the July 31 leg of their IEC drive.
Ms. Reyes, in her lecture, bashed the myths on blood donation that are most often feared by potential donors. The Chapter Administrator stressed the all-too important concept of saving, borrowing and donating as she said, “When we have given something, it is only then can we expect to get back something in return. Maybe not now, but in the future. Maybe not for us, but for our loved ones.”
The PNRC-Kalinga Chief also pointed out the importance of saving other people’s lives, and enjoined her young audience to donate anytime they can be capable of donating – “because you may never know when you would be needing blood.”
Squeezed into the PNRC lecture was the info-sharing done by Mr. Jun Pardito from the Kalinga Provincial health Office. His lecture was on the recurring problem of the community on dengue and rabies, which he interspersed with documentaries dealing with the problems.
It was during the open-forum where the students’ views and concerns regarding the discussed issues were aired. One particular issue was a question asked by Ms. Haydee Lumatac of the DevCom Department, who wanted to know whether the Local Government of Tabuk has any plan to resolve the problem on the insistence of “tandok” experts to exercise their un-hygienic trade.
“Our local government is in fact passing an ordinance that would finally reprimand and punish those who practice the tandok system,” Mr. Pardito answered. “Kaya sorry na lang yung mga taga-tandok natin sa community. This is a practice that must really be stopped. I assure you, you will be aggravating the problem if you go for a tandok, because it is 100% palpak.”
On the active participation of the KASC students and faculty, nurse Regie Ramirez (of the KPHO) said, “The attendance of both students and teachers was quite impressive. They interacted positively with us, and gauging from the depth of the questions they threw us, we were relieved to know that the youth are somehow concerned with community issues.” Ms. Reyes and Mr. Pradito were also given able support by Ms. Donalyn Las Marias, Mr. Nelson de Jesus, Carmen Mamanao and Frances Sebastian. The activity was made possible through Dr. Adoracion Taguba, KASC’s Director for Student Services and Admission, with the aid of Student Coordinator Mr. Tulles Banwa.

Hon. Floydelia Diasen and KASC President Eduardo Bagtang

DIASEN VISITS KASC

Gov. Diasen Graces KASC Induction
By Marciano Paroy Jr.

For the first time since assuming her post as the provincial governor, Hon. Floydelia Diasen visited KASC by serving as the Guest Speaker and Inducting Officer during the State College’s Mass Induction of Officers last July 25 at the Tabuk Gymnasium.
Obviously feeling nostalgic, the Lady Governor expressed how much she misses going to her classes. “But sacrifice has to be made, and I have to stand by the changes that came my way,” she noted.
Earlier, Dr. Carmelita Ayang-ang, Vice President for Academic Affairs, said that her bid for the Presidency of KASC may have been destined because a greater task awaited her at the Provincial Government. The VPAA said, “She left a post at the Institute of Health Sciences where she had already masterminded a series of developments, and put into motion her many plans.”
As the Inducting Officer, the Governor focused on the ability of student leaders to follow as they lead. She stressed that “the essence of leadership is followership. One cannot become a leader without following.”
She told her audience to advocate the creation of a climate that is conducive to a leadership style that realizes the vision of the organization under which one belongs.
Facing a group of potential leaders, she enjoined the student officers to take part in the attainment of her PEACE agenda for the province – explaining to them its elements of Peace and Order, Education, Agricultural Productivity, Culture and Tourism, Environment and Health.
Echoing GMA’s words in her State of the Nation Address this month, the Governor advised the young leaders that if other people get in the way of one’s goals and objectives, then the concerned leader must do something about resolving the conflict so that the leadership aspirations would be accomplished without hassle.
The Governor’s speech took an emotional turn when she lightly touched on the late Atty. Rommel Diasen’s death. “I asked myself why this thing should happen to me, but as Dr. Carmelita Ayang-ang told me, ‘Floy, it’s time to brace yourself for a higher level of service,’” she said.
The Lady Governor ended her speech by reiterating her commitment to serve the province of Kalinga for the next three years with sincerity and efficiency.
*****
Dr. Ayang-ang noted that the Governor’s departure from KASC has left her as one of the very few pioneering instructors from the old Kalinga Community College. The dwindling group includes Mrs. Edna Yumol and Dr. Gloria Floresca.
***** Gov. Diasen had also served KASC as the Director for Student Affairs and Services, and during her stint as such, she has pushed for the accreditation of clubs and organizations – prohibiting the formation of groups that are not duly recognized by the school.
JAPANESE VOLUNTEER LEAVES KASC
By Marciano Paroy Jr.


Mr. Ryota Okazaki, part of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) Batch 127, has recently completed his two-year stint at the Kalinga-Apayao State College where he was stationed as an expert-consultant on environmental and mapping concerns.
Arriving in 2005, he was taken in as part of the KASC’S on global information system (GIS) – an undertaking initiated by Dr. Jovita Saguibo and Engr. Manuel Bilagot during Dr. Venus Lammawin’s last year as president of the state college. The GIS project uses satellite technology in accurately delineating territorial boundaries and topographical features of all land types – and come up with a mass of technical data that would be useful in planning and implementation of projects.
Mr. Ryota, a holder of a degree in forestry, shared his expertise in furthering the outputs of the GIS project. With the other members of the GIS team, Engr. Bilagot and JV Flores, he had been busy roaming the hilly and forested terrain of the province. After two years of collecting data on-field, and storing these data into the computer database, he had accomplished what he has originally intended to attain for KASC.
The Japanese volunteer, who hails from the city of Kyoto, is part of a Japanese team that included Ms. Aya Monoi (in physical education); Mr. Takeshi Mori (in computer technology); Mr. Koichi Nakamura (in welding technology); and Ms. Hiromi Tanaka (in education). Like Ryota, these young men and women were turned over to their respective local partner organizations (LPOs) last 3 May 2005. And now that the volunteerism contract expired, they are now ready to leave the Philippines. Fortunately, they will be replaced by other visionary young people.
JOCV Resident Representative Mr. Katsumi Yoshida and Joselito C. de Vera Executive Director of the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA) are behind the scheduling of the volunteers. The major areas of assignment of the volunteers are education, social work, youth counseling, aquaculture, environment conservation and protection.
As part of their preparation, JOCV and PNVSCA adopted a cluster-based culture and language learning that is geared toward easier and faster adjustments of the volunteers. And Ryota did learn to like a lot about his host province: he came to love binungor, pinakbet, lauya, and basi which according to him is not that different from their native sake (Japanese for wine).
Ryota was given a formal send-off party by the KASC administration during which College President Eduardo Bagtang expressed his sincerest appreciation for Ryota’s work – which the school benefited from. For free.


KASC LAB HIGH RECEIVES COMPUTER UNITS
FROM WACNANG
By Marciano Paroy Jr.

Information technology (IT) is the buzzword these days in all fields – whether in governance, commerce, warfare, and all other areas. Especially in the field of education.
With the classroom as the setting where the youth undergo formal inception of knowledge, it has to be equipped with appropriate materials and gadgets that would hasten the learning process. The computer, undeniably, responds to this. All schools recognize that the preparation of schoolchildren to move higher in the educational ladder would be handicapped without their exposure to information technology.
So, fill the classrooms with computers, one might say. Until one realizes the problems attached to the very idea of acquiring computers. But it would not be as complicated as it may seem, if one knows where to go.
And the Kalinga-Apayao State College – Laboratory High School did exactly know where: the Congress.
As part of his program on furthering educational growth in Kalinga, Hon. Laurence Wacnang, Congressman for the province, responded to the request from a number of secondary schools in Kalinga by allocating budget for the purchase of computer units.
The allocation of budget was coursed through the Department of Education (Dep-Ed) Regional Office – CAR. The regional office then identified an IT company to serve as the conduit of the materials to be transferred to the recipient schools. For the Cordilleran schools, Hub Trading won the contract.
“There are now five schools in the province of Kalinga that have received their computer units, courtesy of the Congressman,” Antonio Zeta, Seminar Director for Hub Trading, said. Zeta handles the crash-course seminar for recipient schools on basic computer program operations. He observed that the trainees who attended the one-day seminar last October 19 at the Laboratory High School of the KASC were all advanced users. He added, “KASC is by far the luckiest school we have visited because the school has been given twenty units.”
The turn-over ceremony took place right after the training activity. Ms. Rosita Sakiwat, invoicing representative from the Dep-Ed – CAR, officially transferred twenty computer units complete with accessories, tables and swivel chairs worth P2,696,200.00 to KASC, with Mrs. Rosalina Gunaban, Director for Administration and Finance, receiving the properties in behalf of the College President, Eduardo Bagtang, who earlier solicited for the gadgets.
“Speaking for the KASC community, we are extending our deepest gratitude to the Congressman for his deep concern and interest in improving the quality of education in the province,” Ms. Corazon Osdeg, KASC-High School Principal, stressed. “We would also like to say thank you to our higher-ups at the Regional Office of Dep-Ed.”

DIASEN ENDS KASC CAREER
By Marciano A. Paroy Jr.

Ma. Gracia Padaca (Isabela), Luisa Cuaresma (Nueva Vizcaya), Josefina Dela Cruz (Bulacan), Teresita Lazaro (Laguna), Bellaflor Castillo (Aurora), Carmencita Reyes (Marinduque), Josephine Sato (Mindoro Occidental), Salvacion Perez (Antique), Gwendolyn Garcia (Cebu), Milagrosa Tan (Samar), Rosette Lerias (Southern Leyte), Aurora Cerilles (Zamboanga del Sur), Imelda Dimaporo (Lanao del Norte), Ma. Elena Palma-Gil (Davao Oriental), Daisy Fuentes (South Cotabato).
Floydelia R. Diasen (Province of Kalinga).
Thus goes the list of women elected as governors in the country. Some of them have sought re-election, while some have moved on to the House of Representatives. Nevertheless, they have all become members of the Governors’ League – further cementing the study conducted by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which lists the Philipines as one of the most “gender-fair” countries in the world. The UNICEF report on the state of the world’s women and children observed that the Philippines has accomplished “significant progress in the involvement of women and young people in the political decision-making process.”
Dr. Floydelia Diasen, though relatively new in the realm of political decision-making, has, for the past three decades, a contributor to rural development by way of teaching – a stint that takes the biggest chunk in her resume where professional experience is concerned.
“My stay with KASC since 1979 has effectively imbued in me the management skills that I would be needing,” the governor-elect replied when asked whether her long-time career in the academe would be sufficient as preparation for the tasks at hand at the Capitol Hill. “I had, for a long time now, been holding administrative roles in KASC. Plus, it is now an opportunity for me to put into motion all the concepts I have been teaching about public administration.”
Following is the transcript of the actual conversation with Dr. Floydelia R. Diasen:
MPJr: You would be remembered in KASC as being considerate. Would this flexibility still be around, now that you are the chief executive of the province?
FRD: I would strongly push for a people-oriented administration. I do recognize that planning does not involve only one mind – therefore, I would be heavily advocating participatory decision-making. But of course I have to be firm in areas where strong will is needed.
MPJr: Indeed, you were cast as a strong-willed woman during the campaign period. Where exactly did you draw this strength from, considering that you are still grieving?
FRD: It is still a matter of wonderment for me how I managed to keep up with the demands and pressure of the campaign period. I think, at the back of my mind, is the prodding resolve to continue what has been started. As our battle cry says, “On with the fight.”
MPJr: Has there ever been a moment when you felt like giving up?
FRD: A lot of times. But then I keep getting my inspiration and willpower from the outpour of support from people. There had been an overflowing show of love and care that I could not do anything but give in to their clamor that I should pick up where my husband has left off.
MPJr: If I may touch a bit on the late Atty. Diasen, you mentioned last April to Mariz Umali of GMA-7, “What makes me sad is that it happened in a place where my husband and I would feel very safe.” How have you been coping so far?
FRD: Only God knows how I have been handling it all. It’s a miracle, really. What keeps me going now is the thought that I have been given something to do, and I have to do it. People believe that I can do it – that is inspiration enough.
MPJr: It’s written somewhere that our true source of strength are the people around us – and not from within ourselves as other philosophers would like to stress.
FRD: That is true. After asking guidance from God, I simply looked around me, and there the people were – believing in me, pushing me. It really re-invigorated me. It made me feel I could trust people again.
MPJr: And soon it will be your turn to give back to these people who have such trust in you.
FRD: Yes. It would be a pleasure to serve them, and the whole province. I have been a politician’s wife for such a long time, but never did I entertain the idea that I would one day be a politician myself. As a politician’s wife, I have been dealing with people only from the sidelines.
MPJr: Now you also have former rivals to deal with. How would you launch your camp’s healing scheme and bridge gaps with those from other camps?
FRD: The occurrence of a healing process is the natural course of events after elections. That’s why I keep appealing to all my supporters and friends to let go of the pain and animosities that we allowed to build up during this past campaign and election period. We should move forward, and instead work together – whatever side one may be identified with.
MPJr: Your arrival at the capitol is highly anticipated, that your departure from KASC is somewhat overshadowed. Would you be missing your former “professional home?”
FRD: I have always thought that I would retire as an educator, but given the circumstances, I have to put that behind me. I cannot say that I would be leaving the academe, because part of me would always be an educator. Instead, I shall be bringing this with me and see what I can do in the field of education for the province. I only have three years to serve, and I just wish that I could serve the people uninterrupted. After which, I shall then bow out and retire. (End of interview)
Dr. Diasen’s addition into the list of female governors further establishes Philippines’ 6th rank out of 115 countries on gender equality – the only country in Asia to land in the Top 10.
According to the Manila Times (Dec. 16, 2006), “Filipinos have elected a great number of women senators and representatives. Female governors and mayors run provincial and municipal governments across the country. The Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals and the judiciary have benefited from the wisdom of women justices and judges.
“The barriers are formidable, of course. But their stories demonstrate the power, the place and the potential of the Filipina.”
Local Colleges Offer Ladderized Courses Approved by TESDA and CHED
By Marciano A. Paroy Jr.


With the current trend of offering ladderized courses in college, the Kalinga-Apayao State College (KASC), the Kalinga Colleges of Science and Technology (KCST), the Saint Louis College of Bulanao (SLCB), and the Cordillera A+ College of Technology (CACT) have overhauled their curricular programming for the courses Bachelor of Agricultural Technology (for KASC), Bachelor of Science in Criminology (for KCST), and Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (for both SLCB and CACT).
These ladderized programs have all passed through the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). Director Julie Banganan explains, “The TESDA Provincial Office scrutinizes the curriculum of the program being submitted for ladderization, after which we shall forward it to the regional office. The memorandum of agreement is both given a stamp of approval by TESDA and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).”
According to the Provincial Director, the four tertiary institutions mentioned above have all satisfied the requirements for their programs to get both the CHED and TESDA approval.
“This ladderized scheme is our response to the present mandate of higher education institutions to respond to the need of providing students with as many alternatives as possible when they enroll a certain course,” Dr. Joseph Aguilar, Dean for KASC’s Institute of Agriculture and Forestry, said. “I should mention that KASC is the eleventh school in the Philippines to have its ladderized BAT program approved for offering.”
The Dean explained that if a student decides to take up a certain course, – say, BSA – by the time he finishes his first year in college, he can already be given a National Certificate which would attest that he has earned one-year worth of expertise that makes him legible to land a job within his field. By the time he finishes his second year, another certificate is earned, and so on, until he finally earns the four-year degree.
Ladderization realistically accepts the fact that, in time, a college student will have the tendency to stop pursuing the degree originally enrolled. The certificates strewn along the academic ladders would then provide the inevitable dropouts with opportunities to land jobs even without completing the degree.
Simply put, a student does not have to finish the course to find a job.
“That’s viewing it off-target,” Ms. Cleofalyn Gayaman, a KCST instructor countered. “A ladderized curriculum simply opens other doors for a student who may eventually decide not to pursue the complete degree due to various reasons, like financial constraints.”
The KCST program on Criminology indeed gives Certificate of Security Services (NC-1) to a student who has completed his BSCrim first-year (and NC-2 for a student who has completed his second year) so that he can already opt to apply for a job in security services that minimally require only the level he has attained.
As for Information Technology, both the BSIT courses offered by SLCB and CA+CT follow a ladderized curriculum. The competencies earned during the lower years, according to Director Banganan, would be of great help to the students who may be gainfully employed already as computer programmers, both here and abroad.
“As of now, we are still offering BSIT as an independent course,” Jefferson Tagtag, KCST instructor, commented. “although Director Banganan has been urging us to have our BSIT curriculum ladderized as well.” “The four-year degree is still the real thing, of course,” Director Banganan said. “Ladderization should not give the notion that a four-year degree is not that important anymore. Also, a certificate which a student has received as early as his first year would give him further preparation in his chosen field. With his certificate, he can already seek employment which can support him as he completes his degree.”
KASC NAMED AS VERMICULTURE STATION IN CAR
by Marciano Paroy Jr.

The Kalinga-Apayao State College has just been named by the Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development (PCAMRD) as one of the 16 vermiculture centers in the Philippines – and the only one in the region.
College President Eduardo Bagtang and Mr. Herbert Imatong are behind the project titled “Implementation of Natural Vermicompost and Vermimeal Production” which has been allotted P1 million, straight from the coffers of PCAMRD in Los BaƱos, Laguna through Executive Director Rafael Guerrero III.
According to project associate Herbert Imatong, “the vermi or earthworms are important in enriching the soil with organic matter which comes from biodegradable materials such as dead plants and animals that the earthworms ingest. “ Dr. Jovita Saguibo, Research Director, added that “The castings of earthworms, also known as vermi-compost, is an excellent soil enhancer and high-quality fertilizer for organic farming. This is a perfect alternative to using chemical fertilizers, and this has been proven in field tests. Earthworms can also be made into vermi-meal – a feed for fish and other domesticated animals.” The “African Nightcrawler” (Eudrilus eugeniae) is the earthworm species suited to be grown in the Philippines for the production of vermi-compost and vermi-meal. Vermi-compost is used or sold as organic fertilizer for plant and crop farming. Vermi-meal is used as an alternative for imported fish meal that we feed to fish and other farmed animals.
As the overall project coordinator, Dr. Eduardo Bagtang assured PCAMRD that the vermiculture station in KASC can sustain the production of at least one ton of earthworm biomass in an area of at least 1,000 sq.m. monthly.
“At present, earthworms are sold at P600/kilo,” Mr. Imatong further explained. “But with this project, we hope to bring down the cost to P30/kilo. When the demo-farm will be fully established, it will serve as a facility for techno-demonstration, training and information service for CAR provinces.”
For vermiculture projects all throughout the country, PCAMRD has been allocated with P17.9 million by the National Economic Development Authority through the Philippine-Japan Support for Underprivileged Farmers. The PCAMRD is the sectoral council of the Department Of Science and Technology tasked in the formulation of strategies, policies, plans, programs and projects for science and technology development; Programming and allocation of the government's internal and external funds for Research and Development; Monitoring and Evaluation of Research Development projects; and Generation of external funds.