5 foolproof, tried-and-tested, and damn-so-accurate tips on how to finish high school with honors, and the law of success, etc.

[caption id="attachment_2174" align="aligncenter" width="744" caption="Photo courtesy of Shella Mae Cascaro-Amba"][/caption]

The graduation ceremony is over. We call it commencement exercises here. Rightly so. As Bob Teh points out in his blog, "...aren't ends just beginnings in disguise?"

To witness a graduation ceremony is inspiring enough, especially when you see the graduates' teary-eyed parents, and to witness graduates who graduate with flying colors is even more edifying.

"Sir, what's the secret?" students often asked me.

I don't know. Perhaps it will never be known---it's not called secret for nothing.

Besides, why would students often ask me that. I've never been an excellent student myself. The only thing I can boast of is having graduated cum laude (which is really not as difficult as whistling while eating a polvoron), and being hailed as Mr. Heart 2008. Ehem!

But I have five tips to offer anyway. I'm not that sure if these tips would work for you, but they did work for me. Here goes:

1. Cut classes.


2. Don't take down notes.


3. Cheat.


4. Always be absent.


5. Disregard numbers 1 to 4.

Many years ago, there lived a man who never graduated from college. He opted to compete in the larger university of life. But boy was he successful. He's one of the architects of the Labor Code of the Philippines, and figured prominently as a former president of the International Labor Organization.

He was Blas Ople.

He once gave a commencement address, and pondered what's the law of success.

"The nearest thing to a law of success," he said, "is that if you are committed, you will succeed. The strength of commitment can even be quantified—in terms of the time and effort you allocate to your goals, not in sporadic burst, but in a steady state."

An armchair environmentalist

[caption id="attachment_2133" align="aligncenter" width="720" caption="Tree planting is one of the requirements of the fourth year students of Stella Maris Academy of Davao. (Photo courtesy of Herica Tiu.)"][/caption]

Even if I flunked one grading period of my high school Chemistry and even if Science is a subject I don't particularly have a strong affection with, I know what global warming is. It is partly caused by human activities. We released too much greenhouse gases---carbon dioxide and methane are some examples---into the atmosphere, so that they form a kind of blanket that traps the heat that entered the planet instead of being bounced back out of the planet.

There is no panacea to global warming, but the most common, one that has in fact done by many people in many places, is to plant trees. For, trees sequester carbon.

I've done tree planting before, and I could tell it's exhausting.

But to those who want to help Mother Earth but have no time to go out and plant trees, one can blog. Yes, in lieu of planting is blogging.

Spelunking in Kapalong

This summer, if you live in Davao City or anywhere in the country and you think of going to Palawan's underground river and go spelunking---defined by Merriam-Webster as the "hobby or practice of exploring caves"---think again. You just might want to try the caves first right in your own backyard.

I've never heard that there are caves in Kapalong, Davao del Norte, and not just caves made by the Japanese when they invaded the country. These are caves formed by nature, made beautiful by nature, chiseled by nature, and molded by nature. The result: A stunning natural wonder that just might provide yet another recreation and education for Filipinos and foreigners alike this summer.

I've never heard of those caves, not until I met my girlfriend, Marianne. She lives in Brgy. Sampao, Kapalong, Davao del Norte. Kapalong is 72 kilometers away from Davao City. It can be reached via Tagum City or Sto. Tomas. Kapalong is subdivided into 14 barangays: Semong, Florida, Gabuyan, Gupitan, Capungagan, Katipunan, Luna, Mabantao, Mamacao, Pag-asa, Maniki (Poblacion), Sampao, Sua-on, and Tiburcia.

Once, when we were talking about what to do this summer and how can we spend it, we actually thought of many things.

"How about Boracay?" She said.

"That's nice. I've never been to Boracay," I replied. "But I want something physical and adventurous this summer."

"Why don't we go caving? There are lots of caves in Kapalong. When I was in fourth year, we have tried caving. It was a bit tough, but it's fun."

We plan to go spelunking this April, after the fiesta in Brgy. Sampao. You might want to try it, too.

The caves that she's talking about are in Brgy. Su-aon, which the local government has turned into a Nature's Park. Brgy. Su-aon is more or less a one-hour ride from the Kapalong Municipal Hall, which is in the poblacion (Brgy. Maniki).

One can actually choose to explore one or more caves open to the public: Okbot, Alena, or Otso.

According to the Davao Speleological & Conservation Society (DSpeCS), Okbot cave was named "after a native medicine man named Okbot who uses the cave as his ritual site and the shelter of his family during calamity." There exists "wondrous stalactites, stalagmites, columns, crystals, cave corals and other cave formations..."

The Otso cave was named after the novelty song "Otso-Otso," popularized by the comedian-turned-recording artist Bayani Agbayani. The cave is located in Purok 8 of Brgy. Sua-on, and since at the time Bayani's song was popular, they called the cave as such. Otso cave also offers the features of Okbot cave, but one thing that makes it more inviting (or repelling) is the presence of King Cobras, locally known as "Banakon."

Alena is a contraction of the words Alimasac and Nacario---two families who own the farm where the cave is located. Inside is a very cold stream that refreshes spelunkers' tired toes.

The Su-aon Underground River is also a must-see. In this case, however, if you're wearing a watch, you need not just an ordinary watch, but a Spyder Submerge Watch, a 100m Water Resistant Alarm with Stainless Steel Back Rubber Strap, so that when you wade through the waters you need not lift your hands up lest your watch might get wet.

You might ask where's the adventure there when all you need to do is enter a cave, marvel at the intricacies of several cave  formations, and then go out?

Spelunking is not as easy as it may seem. The DSpeCS says that spelunking is more than just going in and going out of the cave. For one, you need to ensure your safety. So you need some pieces of equipment: Flashlight, Helmet (a Spyder preferably, if there is one), a pair of Spyder sunglasses to protect you from the glare of the sun as you need to walk to the caves, and a Spyder watch to make the transfer from one cave to another like clockwork. Of course, to fully appreciate the majestic beauty of the cave, you don't wear the shades while inside the cave. You might also want to bring a bottle or two of Gatorade to hydrate yourself from time to time.

Since you poke around the cave by walking---walking on uneven surfaces, rough and sharp stones---don't forget to wear a pair of good and sturdy shoes. skechers GOrun footwear lends a helpful assistance in this case.  While skechers GOrun protects the spelunker's feet from those petty physical predicament, skechers GOrun doesn't deprive the spelunker the opportunity to feel the roughness of the surface, the sharpness of the stones, and the contours of the cave's floor because skechers GOrun, among others, "brings you closer to a barefoot experience and provides impact protection."

Over and above all, you need to learn some basic caving techniques.

"Much of the technique of caving is learned through going caving," DSpeCS says, "and each person will tend to develop their own unique caving style to suit the type of caves they frequent and their own physical characteristics (height, weight, strength, etc.)."

"The best way to learn effective and safe caving technique," DSpeCS adds, "is to go with experienced cavers and pay attention to what they are doing and the advice they have to offer."

In spelunking, there's a big probability that you'll be bruised, scratched, and wounded. But  to come out of the cave unscathed, according to the DSpeCS, it pays to know how to move, crouch, duck-walk, hands and knees crawl or even belly-crawl your way through narrow and low-ceiling passages, uneven terrain, and rough and sharp stones.

So if you're planning to have an adventure-filled summer, try spelunking, and try it in Kapalong, the "Caving Mecca in Mindanao." And it doesn't hurt if you strut a pair of Spyder shades on your way to the caves.

This post is an entry to Spyder-charge your summer blogging contest.

Jonathan Bangayan, Valedictorian

On March 9, 2012, in the cold Audio Visual Room filled with nervous and excited fourth year students, the honors for the Stella Maris Academy of Davao (SMAD) graduating class of 2012 were announced. Through a video presentation, the awardees were shown, and each picture flashed is greeted with "Woaws," or "Yes!," or "Wows."

And then the most awaited came, the valedictorian award. For this school year, two got the most-coveted and perhaps the most difficult-to-get award: Jonathan Bangayan and Fredrich Nierra.

Both richly deserved the award, but I'd like to dwell more on Jonathan because the story of Jon, as we call Jonathan, is a remarkable one.

Perhaps six or seven years ago, nobody would have thought he'll be the class valedictorian. He was just not a shoo-in for the award. Jon is not your typical promising youth who was spotted early on, groomed until graduation, and awarded meritoriously. His is a story of determination, persistence, courage, and passion.

This is what I noticed about how most people write a biography of someone else. It usually begins with the first encounter of the writer and the subject---the circumstance, the atmosphere of the location, or the general mood. I will not succumb to the formula by writing where I first met Jonathan. Besides, I cannot recall anymore under what circumstance that I got to know that a Jonathan Bangayan exists in SMAD.

Back when he was in grade school, Jon was, in his words, a non-entity, almost unheard of. He never figured in contests or in any other school activities. His world was small. He had only few classmates whom he could consider as friends. He had barely involvements in activities outside the school. And he seemed to have gotten used to the grinding sameness of his school life.

Academically, Jon was not that slow. Far from it. But he was just not the top or the best in just about every subject. He even ranked 60th out of over a hundred students.

Despite the lackluster performance in grade school, Jon remained persistent, and showed that one's past does not define one's future, although for most of us we make it as our impetus to recreate ourselves and rise to greater heights.

Jon said it was his parents who prodded and encouraged him to excel and succeed. Jon had a low opinion of himself, but his parents showed him that there's more he could do and give. And succeed Jon did.

Jon started joining extra-curricular activities. He relished outreach activities as a way to widen his horizon. It's with this outreach that it dawned on him that there's another world besides his own---a world far harsher and meaner than his cocooned existence. He harnessed his speaking skills. He joined the Debating Team of the school. He tried hosting. He also tried courting a few girls (one or two), though Jon is so coy to admit it that he wouldn't openly talk about it and would rather brush the topic aside.

In short, he immersed himself in the hustle and bustle of high school life. And all his self-deconstructing and reconstructing effort culminated in third year high school when he ranked first among his batch-mates. For Jon, there's no way but up. So when he reached fourth year, he rose even higher---higher than most people expected.

And now, Jon is class valedictorian, together with Fred. Jon is also the candidate for the 2012 Most Outstanding High School Graduate.

Jon's story in a way mirrored my student life story. In high school, I was an underachiever. I belonged to the general section. In the hierarchy of sections in Davao City National High School, the general section is at the bottom-most tier. I flunked in one grading period in Chemistry. We loitered at the bilyaran or internetan.

And so, my high school classmates were surprised when I graduated cum laude in college.

"Unsa imo gikaon?" I was often asked.

Well, you can ask Jon the same question. I am sure his answer has nothing to do with food. It has everything to do with old-fashioned virtues of patience (which, by the way, is the section of Jon now) in times of frustrations, determination in times of failures, and faith in times of uncertainties.

Posting via mobile phone

This is my first time to use my mobile phone to blog. I don't know if this will work. If you'll be able to read this, then it works. If not, then it doesn't.

Davao belongs to us all

A city is like a coin. It has two faces: one shows the head; the other, the tail. The head is what the tourists like. It's number one in their itinerary. The tail they hardly visit. Or if they happen to visit it at all, perhaps it's  by accident. Maybe they got lost. Maybe it's a necessary passage, an unavoidable route that they have to take, to get to their actual destination. Either way, it's out of the plan. Tourists, foreigners and Filipinos alike, hardly visit a city to see both faces, unless he happens to be a UN Special Rapporteur mandated to gaze at both head and tail.

Davao City is no different. It has two faces. One is beautiful; the other, ugly. One is serene; the other, noisy. One is hospitable; the other, hostile.

Ask any tourist what they like about Davao, and you get a plethora of answers: Durian and all its by-products (Durian jam, Durian cake, Durian pie, Durian cappuccino, Durian candy, etc.), Mt. Apo, Philippine Eagle, Kadayawan, Crocodile Park, People's Park, the Dutertes, the Central 911, the stability and order, the cleanliness, and the relative peace and quiet of the city.

Then ask the same tourist if they know, drop by, or ever heard of Tionko Avenue where, if night falls, prostitutes trooped and congregate; or Piapi Blvd., Barrio Patay (BarPa for short), and S.I.R. Matina---few places in Davao notorious as a safe haven of petty thieves, drug-users and pushers, and other outlaws---ask that tourist, and you get a point-blank "No."

For tourists they have a choice to visit or not to visit those places. For a Davaoeño like me, who has lived here for 23 years now, it seems that I don't have any choice. I have to live with what Davao has got to offer me whether I like it or not. I have to accept that Davao will always have two faces no matter how I try to make a facelift on it.

But, in fact, I do have a choice. I can, for instance, choose to live in Cebu that is beginning to look like Makati, what with its skyscrapers sprouting like mushrooms here and there. I can choose to live in Ilo-Ilo City where the suffocating and congested city streets and sidewalks are absent.

Yet I choose to live here, although leaving Davao is not an utter impossibility. Some people I know have made that choice, too.

Most of my colleagues in Stella Maris Academy of Davao, where I teach for almost two years now, are not born and raised in Davao City. My two High School Librarian friends are both from Digos, but have been in Davao for more than a decade, though they still go to Digos every now and then. Two of my male colleagues are from Sto. Tomas, Davao del Norte. My co-Social Studies teacher and classmate in college is from Mati. Our principal is from Sta. Cruz, Laguna. One Filipino teacher is from Zamboanga del Norte. One Physics teacher is from Pantukan. I also have co-teachers from mainland China. My girlfriend, who teaches MAPEH in the same school, is from Kapalong.

Though we came from different parts of the country, born and raised under different circumstances and stations in life, what binds us is that we've all found a home here in Davao.

I haven't gone to too many places outside Davao City. The farthest that I've ever been to are Ilo-Ilo and Cebu. And on the two occasions that I was there, I could say that Davao City offers the same wares and wonders, goods and getaways, and scenic spots and services, which those places offer.

But I think what separates Davao City is that it belongs to us all. It belongs as much to me as it belongs to my colleagues from Digos, Sto. Tomas, Pantukan, Mati, Kapalong, Zamboanga, Laguna, and China.

Davao belongs as much to Dawn Zulueta (who lives, by the way, in one of the high-end subdivisions somewhere in Buhangin) as it belongs to the Maranao vendors at San Pedro Street, to the Koreans of DCLA at Uyanguren, to the Filipino-Chinese traders at Monteverde Street, and to the Bajaos on Davao's busy streets.

Davao belongs as much to the Dutertes, Nograleses, Bonguyans, Villa-Abrilles, as it belongs to our favorite kwek-kwek vendors,  to the multicab drivers, to the funny barker in Gaisano Mall who is wont to say "Sit erect," "Sit properly," and "Move sideward."

Davao belongs as much to the prominent Davaoeños as it belongs to the many obscure men and women who make Davao City colorful, vibrant, and throbbing with life.

Davao belongs to everyone, and everyone can live and make a life here if one believes, as I do and as others do, that life is here.

Submitted as an entry to the 75th Araw ng Dabaw Blog Competition

Twitter as an ally in learning

Parents, teachers, and school administrators are wary of student use of social networking sites, particularly Twitter, a micro-blogging platform that enables users to post messages (or Tweets) up to 140 characters. It sits well with the students since they need not compose a long article, which admittedly most of them find it hard to sustain.

Our students spend so much time with it, losing their precious little time to studying. We are afraid that, if unchecked, this will have a detrimental effect on our students’ academic performance.

A recent study, however, shows just the opposite. The study, “The effect of Twitter on college student engagement and grades,” is led by the team of Reynol Junco, a leading scholar who explores the nexus between social media and education.

125 college students participated in the study. One group of 70 students was required to use Twitter for educational purposes. Another group of 55 students was required to communicate through a traditional learning system.

The findings belie the claim by many that social networking sites, particularly Twitter, are detrimental to the academic performance of students. Junco et. al. found out the following:

• The Twitter group’s score in engagement—defined as “the amount of physical and psychological energy that the student devotes to the academic experience”—was almost twice as much as the group who used traditional communication methods.


• At the end of the semester the Twitter group’s average GPA was .51 higher than the control group.


• Students were also surprisingly comfortable with candid expressions of their feelings and their short-comings.


• Student use of Twitter generated more and different types of questions than would have been generated in typical class discussions on the same topic.


• Using Twitter in educationally relevant ways had a positive effect on student engagement.

Social media is not just a fad, only popular to this generation, and will soon wither into oblivion. It is, as Eric Qualman argues, a fundamental shift in the way we communicate.

As teachers, we must understand the dynamics of our students. We must meet them where they are, Reynol Junco said. And nearly all of them are in social media. We must seize the opportunity this digital era presents to us and take full advantage of the social media, particularly Twitter, if only to help our students learn.