MSU-IIT’s Training in Journalism resonates its Second Wave of Workshop and Lectures

          In recognizing the role of responsible journalism in the holistic development of MSU-IIT, Office of the Publication and Information advanced its second wave of Training in Journalism with a workshop in news writing, and lectures on Journalism Ethics, Review on Grammar, and Writing for Culture and Heritage on March 2-3, 2016 at the Institute Mini Theater.

          Attended by the Institute’s Writers, Editors and Students, the training has been fruitful in its first day. Engaging open forum glued everyone to think critical on issues about libellous tendencies, ethics and professionalism in student and institute publications, and good writing with good grammar as the lifeblood of every journalist.

       A Review in the Use of Prepositions and Idioms was discussed by Prof. Michelle Jeanne C. Caracut; Journalism Ethics by Prof. Maria Theresa B. Panzo and Office of the Chancellor Special Assistant Mr. Rex Ortega facilitated the News Writing workshop. Prof. Caracut and Prof. Panzo are both special assistants of the Office Publication and Information.

A Review on Grammar

    Prof. Caracut, a very dedicated mentor as introduced by a Campus Ambassador, presented the ABCD principle in Academic Writing where A is for Accuracy, B for Brevity, C for Clarity, and D for Directness. She has mentioned about having a good grammar would always lead to nowhere but good journalism.

         This session have reviewed the use of prepositions in journalistic articles and corrected common mistakes done by most journalists and writers. Prof. Caracut also discussed the Journalistic Style Characteristics, and confusions on the use of prepositional phrases and phrasal verbs.

Journalism Ethics

         Prof. Panzo, a professor from the Department of English of the Institute, came into the rostrum introducing the concept of libel as indicated in the Revised Penal Code Article 355. In accord to the code, Prof. Panzo explicated the presumption of malice and the grounds on how to qualify libellous acts. This certain topic have enflamed the curious minds of the participants.

       The Journalists code of ethics was also explained requiring every journalist to commit themselves to ethical and professional standards. To name a few of the provisions, it has the code of not committing any act of plagiarism, take unfair advantage to a fellow journalist and violate confidential information.

          Along with the discussion of Code V, Prof. Panzo has told a story about a peanut vendor she had interviewed for a feature article years ago when she was still in college. The 9-year-old vendor was the main character of her feature ‘Christmas in the eyes of a child’ which got a space in their university paper. What made the story really sad, six months after december, was the same child was the subject of her news on rape and murder having the child as the victim.

News Writing Workshop

      Having quite a number of new faces in the crowd, Mr. Rex Ortega has given first a review on Writing News. The speaker, who is a special assistant of the chancellor, enumerated the types of Publications, one being the Adversarial journalism which is considered as the fourth estate and, really the watchdog of the government and the Sunshine as the other which no negative stuffs are being written.

       In News writing, as he reminded everyone, would have nothing to do about fiction and creative writing because it deals with real life and everything must be factual.

       The workshop allowed everyone to write a news article about the workshop itself and its second task required them to write an article about the whole event.

 

       This series of workshop and a lecture is an opportunity for the Institute’s developing journalists to be advanced and become excellent in their respective crafts in the Journalism Realm. This Training in Journalism is an endeavour organized by the Institute’s dynamic Office of Publication and Information headed by Dr. Christine Godinez-Ortega.

 

















Photos are grabbed from the FB Page of Iligan Institute of Technology of the Mindanao State University.Credits is due to its source :)

Drive your own Cars, Rotaractors- PP Ramon Dacayo: Pilipinas Rotaract Convention 2016

            “It’s time for your voice to be heard. Be an accomplice no more in your Rotarians’ Service. Drive your own cars”.

            PP Ramon Dacayo, a Rotary Coordinator from the Rotary International, coached and empowered the Rotaractors all over the Philippines to play fair in the bestowed games of Rotary’s Advocacies and Awareness during the 2016 Pilipinas Rotaract Convention at L’ Fisher Hotel, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental.

            According to this equally vibrant advocate, rotaractors who are empowered have the knowledge and ability to lead. It was not always that rotaractors received input like this considering that everyone are too damn busy for many important things which was why it was overwhelming to get to hear someone from the same frequency and degree of enthusiasm in service in a plenary session.

Service

            PP Dacayo in letting the crowd of rotaractors discover the meaning of ‘priceless gift: True Service”, introduced the concept of service marketing- an endeavour of promotion in economic activities.

            After World War, a revitalizing history of the Philippines, there were only Three (3) working economic sectors- the manufacture, agriculture and service. During that time Manufacturing Companies boomed and, in fact, comprises somewhat the total GDP of the country; And there is a need to feed the people which made Agriculture never gone out of the picture; lastly, the service, which made the balance.

            Surprisingly, the Service Sector ranked 1^st and rated 57% in 2013 report as there was the rise of call center agencies, BPO and other customer services all over the market.

            It was also quite funny and mind blowing when he joked with a picture projected on the screen which shows one customer with a bank teller having a pen leashed at the front desk. People trusted banks for safekeeping their hard-earned money, but these banks can hardly trust you out with the use of their pens.

            The kind of service presented above carries a price tag just like anything else. But in rotary, it does not require anything in return.

            So, what then is Rotary Service to a Rotaractor? He answered by presenting the 1^st public service of Rotary which was rooted in vocational service, a toilet, by the Rotary Club of Chicago, which was originally institutionalized not for service but to fellowship. Every rotaract club is encouraged to have its substantial projects and Rotarians do not want to undermine that. Then, PP Dacayo, enumerated services that Rotaractors may indulge in, Rehabilitation and Painting, Proper Hand Washing, Mentoring, Football, Bowling and Golfing Management, and the list goes on.

Priceless Gift: True Service

            Being priceless is having a value beyond all price; invaluable. For entrepreneurs, a customer’s need is always an opportunity to earn but for rotaractors, a community’s need is always an opportunity to serve and help.

            The meaning of True Service, as he revealed before he ended his speech, is when you give something to a person whom you do not know and yet you give.

ProCon 2016

            This 5^th National Convention of Rotaractors was very blessed to have PP Ramon Dacayo who gave meaning and challenge to the Rotaractors. Everyone is a gift to the world. What will make rotaractors precious gifts is when it give its time and attention. The world needs more time and attention. The world needs more Rotaractors.

Archbishop Ledesma inspires Region X Youth Hours 2016

Photo Credits to Judge Jerlie Luis-Requerme

1963 National Awardee of the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines, Archbishop Antonio J Ledesma, SJDD, opens and unfastens the intimidated potency of student leaders in its role of practicing intercultural dialogue in Mindanao during the Region X Youth Hours 2016 on February 6 held at Performing Arts Theater, Mindanao University of Science and Technology.

The Archbishop emboldens the selected youth to deepen its sense of leadership by giving reverence to the different cultural expressions to the Tri-people of Mindanao. He also made mention about how joining religious services of your fellows is a form of appreciation and respect to their religion and its doctrines; that it is what we need now.

Moreover, he raised how the issue of BBL (Bangsamoro Basic Law) advanced a lot of expectation of those involved and eventually became a source of disappointment when it was not favoured by the Philippine congress.

Everybody in the hall was inspired to make peace happens starting from the grass roots. As leaders of the community, one should learn to be sensitive and become peace builders. It is because of ignorance, prejudice and jealous that there is conflict. He ended his speech saying “If we learn to understand the deep context of where we are, then we can have the elusive peace in Mindanao”.

 

msu-iit student leaders

NCCA’s Literatour Journeys Mindanao

The literatour voyage has arrived in Mindanao on January 29, 2016 at the Mindanao State University- Iligan Institute of Technology, the premier and leading University in the Southern Philippines. The second leg of literatour showcased the transcreated Poem on the legend of Maria Cristina Falls by Dr. Christine Godinez-Ortega performed by the most-traveled and world-renowned Integrated Performing Arts Guild literally in front of the magnificent Iligan City’s pride and glory, the Maria Cristina Falls.

In the flock of literature and folklore enthusiasts at MSU-IIT Minitheater- experts, professors and students from different institutions of Mindanao- Dr. Ortega, the project chairman, welcomed everyone with a challenge that faces attending events like this should not be recurring. The literature of Mindanao have long been appreciated by us coming from this the same discipline.

                Dr. Alawi, in a forum after the 1^st session of Dr. Hope Sabanpan-Yu (University of San Carlos) suggested that other professions should be knowledgeable as much as we are (referring to the attending participants) for they are, in fact, hostile to our own folklore.

                Literary big fishes in Southern Philippines were tourist guides having their own study and literary inclinations as their platforms. Among the resource speakers who graced the foremost parts of the Program were Dr. Hope Sabanpan-Yu on Indigenous Literature; Ms. Mikha Marahombsar Alawi on Transcreation of the Darangen to Manga; Dr. Ednairah Pambangan Esmail on Adaptation of Select Darangen Texts for Use as Grade III Instructional Materials; and Dr. Steven Patrick Fernandez on Appropriating and Transcreating Indigenous Expressions for Show.

Indigenous Literature

                Dr. Hope Sabanpan-Yu on Indigenous Literature quoted  Paul Ricoeur that ‘It is in telling own stories that we give ourselves an identity” in her engaging discussion about folklore and how the expressions in ecological perspective are shared and sustained which eventually become communal and a tradition that we need.

                Dr. Yu encouraged us to do not read and interpret folklore in a bare vacuum. One should read it eco-critically and should ask the question, what attitudes are revealed?

                Two (2) issues were raised in the climax of her discussion, (1) Do our “Zoos” serve the environmental purpose having glass barriers as mediators between the audience and the caged animals?, (2) how the popular carving of names in trees is an explicit evidence of human dominance over nature. The latter can mean a small action for us, but that is surprisingly a big thing that we should bear in mind. She also further discussed how the concept of Wilderness can be imbibed from waterfalls and, of course, the concepts of freedom and restriction in dams or reservoirs.

Transcreation and Darangen

                Transcreation, now largely used anywhere in the Philippines, cannot be found in Dictionaries. This term is popularized by the genius playwright, Dr. Fernandez which was, according to him, borrowed from India and originally used as a marketing instrument. He started his short but substantial discussion saying that we will understand whatever he will say through and by our distinct nurturing. Our creative expressions and our own aesthetics are part of our collective unconscious.

                He continued teasing the audience about concepts and categories which were largely western. Questions were; is there a dance? Or do we have a dance? Are those royal individuals? (Pointing at the projected scene of a performance) and many more mind-blowing teases. A challenge, again, was posed for us- start liberalizing our minds and try to break conventional paradigms. Dr. Fernandez also emphasized the difference of a stage performance from the original which is naturally authentic, that the original is beautiful when it is for the good of the community while a staged performance is beautiful when it is well crafted.

                Moreover, Dr. Esmail and Ms. Alawi presented the fruits of their passion, determination and hardwork. They transcreate selected Epic of Darangen texts for modern use and can even be a great source of entertainment among the young people of today. Their endeavour is an explicit benefit to the language arts, values education and to the K to 12 fulfillment. It is indeed rich of possibilities and opportunities for the teacher and her charges. Why Darangen? For one, we can claim that it is undoubtedly ours and has a repository of the value and belief system of the ancestors of the meranaos.

                Voyagers of this Literatour were surely enlightened and stirred along its fast-sailing cruise. There was a tempest of new concepts and ideas which have caused the confusion. Confusion is part of the learning process. Everyone is admitted that there are still a lot to learn about, that Mindanao has a vast and rich body of literature and folklore. The voyage has rested for now.

ASEAN Integration, why the hell an issue for Student Leaders?

36^th PACSA Keynote Speech by Dr. Vicente K. Fabella

Problems are considered as challenges in ASEAN Integration. The heart of Dr. Vicente K. Fabella’s Keynote Speech dwelt more with the trends, tenets and competencies amidst the ‘challenges’ and not about ‘problems. He started his speech by enumerating the countries included in ASEAN, we have in the list, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar and et cetera.

ASEAN will have one vision, one identity and will be one community. Dr. Fabella presented 3 relative ASEAN trends which refer to a set of behavioural skills and technical competencies to become effective in the real world. These trends are Initiative, Communication Skills and Critical Thinking.

INITIATIVE. We must never be satisfied with the status quo and must always go beyond the minimum.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS. The Ability to confidently express ideas and opinions in both oral and written communication in the English Language. It might demand time and effort but what makes perfect is practice.

CRITICAL THINKING. The ability to solve problems with the possible best solution in an orderly manner.

These trends are presented in a smart video presentation. It definitely stimulates my schema for it really existed in my past experiences as a student leader. I have always forwarded encouragement to my fellow leaders to become team players and to have initiative, commitment and creativity. I honestly hate myself for not being an effective leader, perhaps, towards my subordinates. Only to find out that this concern is a universal apprehension.

Another set of trend, being presented is about the conventional hypothesis that whenever you get high grades or graduate with flying colours, you will be eventually paid with high salary. But, he expounded with several evidences and graphs that employability is not about grade only. A chart has been presented and it shows that there is no significant difference with graduates who have high grades and graduates who unfortunately sucked in terms of their starting salary. Excellent Academic Performance is not a guarantee for high salaries. Though, we have always known that it has an implication to our outputs. This has been discussed to say that it is not just about grades but also about the said trends presented in the earlier paragraphs. We must also involve ourselves in community activities.

ACADEME-INDUSTRY LINKAGES

When we talk about linkages, we are actually talking about quality relationships. Just like any other relationships, some have bad relationships and some have good relationships. Eventually, good ones will yield great results. In the Philippine Setting, it started with Enrolment, followed by Building Skills and Finding a Job.

ENROLMENT is a concern of the students in its completion of a course and quest for a suitable course that aligned to a respective discipline.

BUILDING SKILLS is a concern of the faculty in its pedagogy and curriculum.

FINDING A JOB is a concern of Business individuals in its matchmaking of jobs with available courses.

The emerging problem of this process is that only teachers and business people talk a lot, not including the creative minds of the students or the youth. The communication must include all the elements of the said process.

Then, he went back talking about Initiative which is directly relevant to confidence. Most of the graduates sucked in this particular trend. Why it matters to student leaders? Because initiative is one of the high concepts of leadership. Then, Dr. Fabella shared to us a quotation by John Quincy Adams, ‘If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.’ This will matter because everything related to these trends start at school.

PACSA President Dr. Magat challenges Philippine student leaders to be active proponents of ASEAN Integration

DR. HENRY G. MAGAT, the President of the Philippine Association of Campus Student Advisers (PACSA) from Jose Rizal University challenged thousands of student leaders to take the lead role and do pro-active stance towards the sense of preparedness for the awaited ASEAN Integration during the 20^th Annual National Convention and Seminar-Workshop for Student Leaders at Crown Legacy Hotel, Baguio City on Nov. 25, 2015.

ASEAN, PACSA and HENRY are the three (3) abbreviations that he explicated in his message. ASEAN integration, in its truth, promote security within its region and provide inclusive economic growth. Both PACSA and ASEAN sees Human Capital Investment as paramount to success and of greater value and should be treated as a premium value, thus, the best resource that it could ever have. Then he proceeded to the meaning of H-E-N-R-Y, the soul theme of the event, which are as follows:

H is for Human Development that stimulates the holistic progress and advancement of each individual (Pacsan). This has been the essence and primordial duty of PACSA for years already. Then a hypothetical question goes, such as ‘what could ever be the value and worth of PACSA if not the development of its people?’ Each one of us should develop its gift of skills and competence.

E is for Enhancing Capabilities and Creativity. PACSA continually harness creativity and enhance capabilities to a new level, new paradigm and new order which undoubtedly give us a a new sense of,

New direction and roads to progress. PACSA which seeks to be a relevant organization dream to be seen through as the grandest and greatest organization for enhancing whatever an individual have. It aspires to be not left out in the race for being left is a formula for failure.

R is for Rewarding Experiences in Life. In PACSA, we are always pushed and metamorphosed for something better. Let us harness the best, cultivate the best and make it as our culture.

Y is for Youth Oriented,for PACSA has always been therfor the young people. It has a vision of translating youth energy to action, nation building and human development. Youth, as foreshadowed earlier, must the take the front seats and prepare to dominate the world with its burning energy. We, the youth, are provoked to take action for nothing is ever achieved with a vision without an action. According to the Dr. Magat, the youth are in the right track, right direction in PACSA.

ASEAN is a myriad of challenges, by now, we must assess our sense of preparedness.

The Student Leaders of MSU-IIT

Sec. De Lima speaks justice with love: A Synthesis of her Keynote Speech during the 4th Philippine I Transform Young Leaders Convention

Phot Credtis to Youth Lead Philippines

Secretary of Justice Leila De Lima have given a clever and creative speech integrating love and good governance as one in virtue and purpose to almost hundreds of young leaders across the nation. Before the floor has been given to her, cheers of the different delegations from National Capital Region, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao were uttered and shouted making her remember her late days, 50 pounds ago, as a cheer leader or a majorette. We seriously don’t expect that coming.

                There was no dull moment in her speech. She is indeed a good speaker and her keynote speech during the 4^th Philippine I Transform Young Leaders Convention could testify that. She gave an assumption that tourists, just like us, come to baguio for two possible reasons: 1.) to find True Love, and 2.) to fix the broken heart. This have caught the attention of everyone and made the framework of her speech. ‘Hugot’ lines were also brought by her mouth to the Francisco Benitez Hall, Senor Mess of the DepEd Teachers Camp, such as; ‘(ang maipapayo ko sa inyo kung kayo ay broken hearted) move on my dear, move on’, (ang mga ex ninyo) ay dinadaanan lang yan hindi tinatambayan’ and the list goes on.

                The controversial secretary said that when we talk about love, she is a survivor, a winner or a victor. Those were the exact words she said. She added that having a broken heart must not make us weak rather, it must make us stronger (malakas), wiser (matalino), and  braver (matapang).

                But her talk, as what I have foreshadowed, was not just about love nor romance, or forevermore. Her talk was about leadership and she started about the least appreciated principle in leadership which is accountability. The failure to personify this virtue would lead to broken hands, broken groups, teams, organizations, people and even the society or worse, the whole nation. When one choose to resume a position, that one should embody accountability which the virtue of trust (tiwala) is indispensable. When we take accountability out from the equation that just proves that there is no forever. Even in love (pag-ibig), when you commit or answer (sagot), you will have many responsibilities (sagutin), or if you will not, then good luck, (lagot ka).

Why one should be accountable?

There are three Cs for it; conscience, constitution, and constituents.

Why it is important to know whom are we accountable for?

This is for you to have a focus on releasing your energy. It would provide you courage in the pursuit of your mission or with the obstacles you would meet on your way.

Whose picture is in your wallet?

He/She must be your special someone. You keep it for 1.) Inspiration, 2.) It will remind you of your accountability to him/her. But what is important is to keep that image/person in your heart. You must put your commitment to your heart. The home of each person’s accountability is your heart.

For the honourable secretary, the image is the image of our country- the Philippines to which she serves. You cannot stop her in her mission.

Sec. De Lima, then proceeded in enumerating the cases to which she has taken care of, such as the Manila Hostage Crisis, the charges against Past President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, PDAF scam of Janeth Lim Napoles and Kidnapping of Ben Hur Luy. In between these issues were the equally explosive and sensitive massacres, suing of drug lords, incidents and the case of Mary Jane Veloso.

Awarding of the Testimonial of Appreciation to Sec. De Lima

She never asked to be controversial. It is just that these issues and investigations are within her duty and mandate. She also admitted that corruption is still not out of our system and stressed the idea about the equality of all Filipinos to the law of the land whether you are wealthy or not.  The law protects us all equally or not. She promised that the Department of Justice will still enhance its efficiency, therefore, it must be well-respected. She will always continue to support amendments to improve justice.

To put oneself last is selflessness. One should serve the country above self. We must set aside personal needs for national interest. A leader commands and influences but a leader is also a servant and falls in love. Leaders should serve without conditions.

The broken hearts are the hearts of the millions of Filipinos which are betrayed, pocketed and plundered. The pain is undoubtedly excruciating not only to the heart but to the soul. Young leaders hold the future. We are the hope of the nation. We must heal the broken hearts. They will be healed when it will believe and trust again. We must lead them in falling in love again. Tulungan natin silang maniwala na may FOREVER parin.

Region X Student Leaders with Sec. De Lima

Addendum: Receiving the Testimonial of Appreciation to MSU-IIT from Youth LEAD Philippines