Restore the WORLD.

 Every year on June 5, World Environment Day is observed to raise awareness and create action on a serious environmental issue. The Day provides an opportunity to reflect on successes and reaffirm our commitment to addressing the world's environmental issues.

The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration officially begins on World Environment Day. Ecosystem services are critical to the well-being of all people on the planet. Nonetheless, as we mark World Environment Day 2021 and the start of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, ecosystems continue to deteriorate. Ecosystem degradation already has a negative impact on the health of at least 3.2 billion people.

The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030 is a rallying cry for the conservation and revitalization of ecosystems worldwide, for the benefit of both people and environment. It seeks to prevent environmental deterioration and restore ecosystems in order to accomplish global goals. The UN Decade is establishing a broad-based global movement to accelerate repair and put the world on track for a more sustainable future.

Mothers know best!

          Our mothers have been our idols from the day we were born. They've become our safety net when we're all terrified and troubled by the things that happen in our life. To commemorate Mother's Day, the second Sunday in May has been designated as a day dedicated to our mothers. 

          Every day is a blessing, but Mother's Day deserves special attention. It's a day when we should make an extra effort to show our moms how glad we are to having them in our lives. A day where we could make it unique for them and demonstrate how much we adore them. 

          Words cannot convey how much our moms love and care for their children; it is our job to love and care for them as they get older. Their work and sacrifices are something we should respect today and in the future.

           Our mother, who gave us birth, is not an ordinary person. They looked after us when we were still in their womb. They have assisted us in growing and have backed us in whatever we have desired. We, as their children, can make them feel valued by doing simple things like giving them hugs and kisses, flowers, and presents.

Binatbatan Festival

           The streets were closed, and people congregated in specific areas. The drums are pounding loudly and clearly. The street dancers are dressed brightly and loudly proclaiming "Viva Vigan!" Binatbatan Festival has grown to be one of the greatest cultural events in the Philippines' northern archipelago. Binatbatan Celebration, with its costumes fashioned of abel Iloko, a woven fabric unique to the Ilocos Region, is more than simply a festival. It showcases Vigan's rich culture and ancient industry.

          Even while the epidemic continues, we continue to celebrate while adhering to health and safety measures to ensure that everyone may enjoy the event safely. The week-long Viva Vigan celebrations have both religious and secular importance. It all starts on May 1st, when the entire country celebrates Labor Day and Vigan remembers its own Isabelo de los Reyes. Binatbatan movement is linked to Vigan's abel Iloco manufacture. The film depicts how cotton cases are smashed with bamboo sticks to release the cotton lightening known as batbat from its seed. This event began in 2002 to highlight this traditional weaving technique that is claimed to have originated before the arrival of the Spaniards.

Almost There!

          I've learnt a lot, especially about online pages and sites. I've relearned how to express myself creatively by selecting background colors, images, font styles, and font sizes. It taught me to seek assistance from my peers in order to finish things that I did not comprehend. 

          This quarter's activities have been completely intellectual, with all questions being open-ended rather than the customary close-ended ones of prior quarters. Given that, it somehow makes it more difficult because it takes much more concentration and critical thought. There is so much that I have learned and so much more that I have yet to uncover. It also helped me realize that performing Community-based Research may have a significant influence on the community and its people, as it helps people understand how their local settings affect the health, general well-being, and so much more.

           Moving forward, I plan to work harder and build on what I've accomplished this academic year. We're almost done with the school year, and we need to enjoy and make the most of it because we're getting close to the end.

Juana Laban sa Pandemiya: Kaya!

 All of us are facing and overcoming problems that would otherwise pull us down. We are all in the same boat, regardless of our gender, race, or beliefs. However, there is an exception for extraordinary people andreason why we celebrate and recognize them for who they are now. We all live in a world that is so beautiful, an ever-changing world that we all walk through, a world bathed in a radiance that warms our hearts and comforts us. Since the beginning of time women have held the world on their shoulders. Women are the Symbol of Life. A Woman in her Essence is a Gift to the World. A Symbol of Strength and Freedom.

Patriarchy was responsible for shaping women's roles in society during the 18th and 19th centuries. Men have been seen as superior throughout history, while women have been regarded as inferior. Women are viewed as the sole breadwinners in households, and they are not afforded the same rights as men. Furthermore, stereotyping has had a negative impact on women. Nowadays, Women's rights and opportunities to reach their full potential are critical not only for achieving gender equality, but also for meeting a wide range of international development goals. Women and girls who are empowered contribute to the health and productivity of their families, communities, and countries, benefiting everyone. Women have embraced having equal rights as men, but having equal rights also creates a demand for duties. The selective service should be no different. Women have proved they are able to perform the task that the military requires. In today’s society there are ways women can contribute that don’t involve combat. A gender-neutral draft will help broaden expectations and recognition of what women can do.

Women's empowerment can be defined as promoting women's self-esteem, ability to make their own decisions, and right to influence social change for themselves and others. Female empowerment is frequently associated with specific historical eras of the women's rights movement. In this collage, the shape was a raised right fist icon appears prominently as a feminist symbol inspired by Robin Morgan, a feminist who used this movement during the Miss America protest in 1968 which Morgan co-organise. It shows powerful women who became an example to young girls and women to speak up and be able to express their strength through different agendas. 

#EndCOVIDNow

Although COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing illness, scientists are still learning how well vaccines prevent you from spreading the virus that causes COVID-19 to others, even if you are asymptomatic. Early data indicate that vaccines help prevent people who do not have symptoms from spreading COVID-19, but we will learn more as more people are vaccinated. Because of population immunity, it is difficult for the disease to spread from person to person. It even protects those who are unable to be vaccinated, such as newborns or people who are allergic to the vaccine. The proportion of people who require protection in order to achieve population immunity varies by disease.

What You Need to Know

• -COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective.

• -Possible to experience side effects after vaccination. These are normal and should go away in a few days

• -It typically takes two weeks after vaccination for the body to build protection (immunity) against the virus that causes COVID-19. You are not fully vaccinated until 2 weeks after the 2nd dose of a two-dose vaccine or two weeks after a one-dose vaccine.

Studies show that COVID-19 vaccines are effective at keeping you from getting COVID-19. Getting a COVID-19 vaccine will also help keep you from getting seriously ill even if you do get COVID-19.

COVID-19 vaccination is an important tool to bring you closer to enjoying the activities you have missed.

Valor Day

This day commemorates the greatness of Filipinos who fought in World War II. In the Philippines, it is observed on the 9th of April. The day of Valor is designated as a public holiday. Every municipality in the Philippines holds a little parade to commemorate Araw ng Kagitingan. Soldiers were compelled to travel 145 kilometers to Camp O'Donnell in San Fernando that day. It is known as the Bataan Death March due to the large number of people who died as a result of malnutrition and dehydration. Despite their helplessness and defeat, they held firm and returned to fight for the country. The purpose of Araw ng Kagitingan, or the Day of Valor, is to honor the Bataan heroes who held steadfast in the face of adversity.

Public historian Xiao Chua said that for ships to reach Manila, these would have to pass between Cavite and Bataan, where the island of Corregidor was located. He said the plan was to “frustrate” the efforts of the Japanese troops by making it hard for them to transport their supplies to Manila. As the war continued, Filipino and American soldiers defended Bataan in what was now considered one of the longest battles in Asia. According to historian Dr. Ricardo Jose, what was admirable about the soldiers in Bataan was that they were not professionals but reservists and ordinary people who trained for only six months. He said these farmers, students, office workers and “non-professional armies stood up against these veteran Japanese troops” from China who were experienced in combat. “It was something remarkable,” he said. Bataan became a symbol of hope, so it was a painful defeat for Filipinos when it fell on April 9. Through the Voice of Freedom radio broadcast, 3rd Lt. Normando Ildefonso Reyes announced Capt. Salvador Lopez’s message that Bataan had surrendered.Despite the defeat, the battle in Bataan became a historical moment not only for Filipinos, but also for the entire world. 

“We never celebrate the Fall of Bataan. We commemorate the Fall of Bataan. We remember,” said Jose.

He said the many lives lost in Bataan were a tradegy should never happen again 

Lenten Season

The three main things people focus on during Lent are prayer, fasting (abstaining from something to reduce distractions and focus more on God) and giving, or charity. Prayer during Lent focuses on our need for God’s forgiveness. It’s also about repenting (turning away from our sins) and receiving God’s mercy and love. It’s important to note that doing these things can never make us earn or deserve Jesus’ sacrifice or a relationship with God. People are flawed and will never be good enough for a perfect God. Only Jesus has the power to rescue us from ourselves.

Jesus sacrificed Himself on Good Friday to bear the punishment for all our wrongdoings and offer us forgiveness. He was raised from the dead on Easter Sunday to give us an opportunity to have a relationship with God for eternity. Spending time during Lent praying, fasting and giving can make Jesus’ sacrifice on Good Friday and His resurrection on Easter even more meaningful. 

According to Bishop Barron, "Three key lessons follow from the disquieting fact of the Resurrection. First, this world is not all there is. The Resurrection of Jesus from the dead shows as definitively as possible that God is up to something greater than we had imagined. We don’t have to live as though death were our master and as though nihilism were the only coherent point of view. We can, in fact, begin to see this world as a place of gestation toward something higher, more permanent, more splendid.

Second, the tyrants know that their time is up. Remember that the cross was Rome’s way of asserting its authority. But when Jesus was raised from the dead through the power of the Holy Spirit, the first Christians knew that Caesar’s days were, in point of fact, numbered. The faculty lounge interpretation of the Resurrection as a subjective event or a mere symbol is exactly what the tyrants of the world want, for it poses no real threat to them.

Third, the path of salvation has been opened to everyone. Jesus went all the way down, journeying into pain, despair, alienation, even godforsakenness. He went as far as you can go away from the Father. Why? In order to reach all those who had wandered from God. In light of the Resurrection, the first Christians came to know that, even as we run as fast as we can away from the Father, we are running into the arms of the Son."

#WomenMakeCHANGE

 

The 2021 National Women's Month Celebration is an homage, a platform, and a call to action that recognizes ordinary Juanas' outstanding contributions to society as trailblazers and change agents. This event also serves as a forum for discussing and addressing the difficulties that women continue to encounter in order to reach complete empowerment. According to the PHILIPPINE COMMISSION ON WOMEN, This observation traces its roots in different movements in the 1900s, particularly in the United States of America, particularly garment workers fighting for their economic rights and fair work hours.

In 1911, the first International Women’s Day was celebrated on 19 March participated by millions of men and women. However, a tragic incident led to the changing of this date. On 25 March, 1911, 140 working women died in a fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist factory in New York City. This brought to light the unfair labor practices and inhumane working conditions that women workers face and led to several rallies.
In Europe, the Socialist Women’s International Conference recommended March 8 to be the International Women’s Day not only to commemorate the women workers in the New York fire, but also to lobby issues concerning women. Since 1913, IWD has been observed annually on 8 March. In 1975, the UN formally designated this as the day of celebration of achievements of all women around the world and propel change in terms of gender equality.
In December 1977, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a UN Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace to be observed on any day of the year by Member States, in accordance with their historical and national traditions.

This year's advertising differs from previous ones in that it is placed against the backdrop of the COVID-19 epidemic, which presented both obstacles and opportunity for women. As a result, this year's commemoration emphasizes women's contributions to the fight against the epidemic, as well as gender concerns aggravated by the outbreak. It's time to look into the gender issues that arose or became more apparent during the health crisis, to highlight women who persevered in the face of adversity, and to offer information on support networks and government initiatives that address women's challenges and concerns.

2nd Quarter Reflection

Everyone has their own style of learning. While for some, they are still struggling with the new set-up and faced obstacles that surely affected their studies. For this quarter, we focused on HTML Tags. This lessons were not something I was interested in, I was scared to do it because I am scared of failing, which is my bad trait. Going on, I tried it for the first time and was struggling. Luckily, I had friends who are willing to help and teach me on what am I going to do. Weeks past by, I enjoyed my activities and improved.

Aside from doing HTML Tags on the notepad, I gained more confidence in writing up my opinion and feeling on the internet, and being vigilant every step of the way. Making blogs every other week changed my perspective in life and made me reflect on how I am improving as a person. I am learning more facts and learned to appreciate our heritage and what our ancestors left us to remember who we truly are. 

Moving on, I will be a better student knowing the pros and cons of our new learning set-up. I will adapt and excel on the next quarter. I'll lessen my procrastinations and will have more confidence. I know that I am not alone because I have my teacher and classmates to help me out. 

Why Valentine?

 I get curious why we celebrate love on the 14th of February annually. 

Photo by: Wikipedia

Valentinus, a Roman priest, was imprisoned and sentenced to death. His last act before death was to write a love letter to the woman who visited him regularly while he was incarcerated. "From your Valentine," he signed the letter, and it has since been regarded as the first Valentine's Day card in history. Valentinus died on February 14, 269 A.D., and several hundred years later Pope Gelasius declared his death date would be known as St. Valentine's Day.

Centuries past by until the 19th Century, people started writing and giving away mass-produced greeting cards. It somehow became a tradition and people made different kinds of gestures in showing off their love. As years came by, people have made ways to express their love in different gestures and words.

Some might find this cheesy but it was made to at least remind us all that we are loved, that we love one another. People are happy and makes life better because it reminds us that love can be celebrated with either family, friends, or even your significant other. The pureness of our heart and the uniqueness of expressing our love is a proof  that no matter how big or small your act of kindness to someone can change their lives. For better or for worse, love keeps us alive. For me, Valentine's Day should be every day because it has a big impact on our lives on how we become better.

Photo by: shesays.com