A New Chapter

    A new year brings a fresh start, and with it, the hope for a "new year, new me." Looking back, 2024 was a year of ups and downs. I experienced moments of joy and success that made me feel proud, but there were also challenges that tested my strength and patience. From achieving small victories to overcoming obstacles, each moment shaped me into a stronger person. I learned to embrace the good days and get up the tough ones, knowing that both are essential for growth.

    Through it all, I learned lessons that I will carry to my next journey. I learned the importance of  patience, and staying true to myself even in difficult times. I also realized how important it is to cherish the people who support me and to never take moments of happiness for granted. With these lessons in mind, I’ve set my New Year’s resolutions to focus more on self, improve my time management, and work harder toward my goals while making time for the people and things I love.

 

    As I say goodbye to 2024, I hold onto the memories, lessons, and growth it brought me. It wasn’t a perfect year, but it was meaningful in its own way. Now, I look forward to 2025 with hope and excitement, ready to embrace whatever it may bring. I hope this 2025 will be great, filled with new opportunities, cherished moments, and a better version of myself. This year, I will build stronger—not just in the things I do but in the person I am becoming.

A Memorable Holiday

     
     Christmas is the season of giving, but it's not the gifts, it's the memories you make with your family. My Christmas vacation started on a special day as we celebrated my birthday on December 22. It was a simple yet meaningful day filled with love and laughter. My cousins visited us this holiday, making the celebrations even more joyful and lively. On Christmas Eve, we went to church, which made the celebration even more meaningful, as it reminded us of the true feeling of the season. That night, we feasted on a delicious spread of food that seemed endless. The warmth of family and the joy in our hearts made it a night to remember.

     On Christmas Day, the celebrations continued as we exchanged gifts and ate more food! We also played games together, which made the day even more fun and lively. The fun and joy during those games brought us even closer as a family. A few days later, we decided to take a trip to Vigan, where we strolled around its beautiful view, admired the beautiful lights, and bought plenty of souvenirs and treats. The amazing city added a memorable experience to our holiday. Afterward, we went to San Esteban for a family gathering. It was a very happy time because my cousins and lolas, whom I hadn't seen in more than a year, finally reunited with us again. It was the highlight of our vacation, as we shared countless laughs, stories, and moments that will forever be in our hearts.

     
    I didn’t receive many gifts this holiday, but I sure received many memories and love with my family.

2nd Wave of ICT

    This quarter I really dived into the wonderful world of HTML and coding tags. Here I learned how to structure pages and create meaningful layouts with headings, paragraphs, images, and links. These discoveries brought me to understand how sites are built from scratch and fostered a deeper appreciation for web development. By hands-on practice, I had confidence in writing code and applying it to create aesthetically pleasing and functionally effective designs.

    Even with the thrill of learning, there were a lot of problems encountered. Among these were debugging codes and making sure tags were closed properly so that there would be no errors. Sometimes it frustrated me to determine where exactly a mistake lay, causing disruption in the webpage layout or functionality. The syntax learning and knowing new concepts, such as attributes and nested tags, was overwhelming.

    I had to be patient and learn to check my work twice. Online tutorials and forums also helped me clear up concepts and resolve issues. Collaboration with fellow students and consulting with my teacher also got out of the way of problems, allowing me to learn more appropriately.

    

    Further on, I will keep acquiring knowledge while broadening my horizon of programming through the study of CSS and JavaScript in order to add interactivity and designs on web pages. My biggest task would be having small projects that force me to apply what I have learned and make the most use of my creativity in terms of innovation.

Rights For Women (Thematic)

     VAW is a worldwide crisis, one out of every three women experiences it at least once in their lifetime. For the Philippines, there has been a release from the Philippine Statistics Authority on the National Demographic and Health Survey 2022, one in five women reported having ever experienced emotional, physical, or sexual violence from her intimate partner. This trend is very bad and demands a redoubling of efforts towards the total eradication of VAW through legislation and awareness among women, an aim of the 18-day Campaign to End Violence Against Women.

    The central tool of such efforts would be the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004, or R.A. 9262. It is an empowering law that provides the most broad framework for protection from physical, sexual, psychological, and economic abuse, in order to empower victims, making them access protection orders and legal remedies to assure safety and dignity. Implementing R.A. 9262 promotes accountability and increases awareness of the seriousness of VAW and constitutes the cornerstone of the 18-day campaign.

    This is further supplemented by the Safe Spaces Act, or R.A. 11313, also known as the "Bawal Bastos Law." This legislation, enacted in 2019, protects individuals, women more so, against public place harassment, workplace harassment, and even harassment on virtual platforms, among others. It protects against dangerous acts of catcalling, stalking, cyberbullying, among others harmful acts. This law promotes a culture of respect and dignity whereby victims are empowered to report incidents without fear of reprisal and whereby violators are penalized in the fight against harassment.

    Another landmark law is the 2022 amendment to the Anti-Rape Law of 1997, R.A. 11648, which raised the age of sexual consent from 12 to 16 years. This will bring the Philippines in line with international practices in protecting minors and would fill legal loopholes that would otherwise allow perpetrators to be let off the hook. It embodies a greater commitment to the protection of children from exploitation and abuse.

    Among legislative tools on the battleground for VAW, the most prominent and the ones utilized are Anti-VAWC Act, Safe Spaces Act, and R.A. 11648. Though, will only be improved from coming from other different sectors. United in efforts in attaining the observance of laws that shall increase awareness builds a future without violence and fear and becomes a threat to women and children of a safer and more balanced society.

References:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.istockphoto.com%2Fillustrations%2Fwomens-rights&psig=AOvVaw2NsoWJbznc3
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcepr.org%2Fvoxeu%2Fcolumns%2Forigins-womens-rights&psig=AOvVaw2NsoWJbznc3k4wJvz_z5L1&ust=1733056727142000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=
sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shutterstock.com%2Fblog%2Fwomens-rights-movement&psig=AOvVaw2NsoWJbznc3k4wJvz_z5L1&ust=1733056727142000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBQQjRxqFwoTCNji68CJhIoDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAS
https://psa.gov.ph/statistics/national-demographic-health-survey
https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2019/ra_11313_2019.html
https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2004/ra_9262_2004.html

Maestro Pidiong

     Elpidio Quirino was the Philippines's sixth president and a great leader whose life demonstrated relentless public service passion. Born on November 16, 1890, he came into the world at Vigan, Ilocos Sur, but humble beginnings described the early life of this definite man. After amassing determination about education, he graduated in law from the University of the Philippines in 1915. In this sense, his journey can be seen as such an example of perseverance from the modest roots to the stature in the history of the country as a whole.

    Quirino started his political career with being elected as a representative of Ilocos Sur in 1919. It was the beginning of a great and influential public service career. He served during the Commonwealth as senator and was Secretary of Finance and Secretary of the Interior. It was as Vice President and Secretary of Foreign Affairs under President Manuel Roxas that his achievements in post-war reconstruction earned him recognition for his diplomatic skill and vision. It was as president, after the sudden death of Roxas in 1948, that Quirino took the nation into the trying post-World War II era.

    As president, his efforts will be highly channeled on restoring the Philippines and establishing a stable economy. He made sure that during his administration, there were enough infrastructures, housing programs among the poor, and attracting foreign investments. He even advocated for the establishment of the SSS and labor rights protection. Confronted with criticisms and the challenge, Quirino's efforts paved the way for future strides. Legacy of the leader of the nation whose resolve to uplift the country is still standing during the recovery years.

References:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elpidio-Quirino

https://www.nationalmuseum.gov.ph/exhibitions/nm-ilocos-regional-museum-complex/president-elpidio-quirino-memorabilia/

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fhistorylearning.com%2Fhistory-of-the-philippines%2Fpost-colonial%2Fpresident-quirino%2F&psig=AOvVaw1YPVqXQsUDVPAMrAvuykaZ&ust=1732710085057000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBQQjRxqFwoTCKDa7ZL--YkDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAJ

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.britannica.com%2Fbiography%2FElpidio-Quirino&psig=AOvVaw1YPVqXQsUDVPAMrAvuykaZ&ust=1732710085057000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBQQjRxqFwoTCKDa7ZL--YkDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAS

Indigenous People Have Their Own Rights

     In the Philippines, October is a very important month in the sense that it encompasses National Indigenous Peoples Month and the 27th year anniversary of the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997. The week-long celebration will focus on sensitizing and safeguarding the rich heritage and rights of the indigenous peoples' communities under the theme "Mga Katutubo at Katutubong Dunong: Pahalagahan, Pangalagaan at Parangalana" or Valuing, Nurturing, and Honoring Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous Knowledge. In observance of the valuable contribution of IPs to the molding of the Filipino way of life and identity, there is again a renewal of urgency to preserve their traditions and protect their rights.

    IPRA is a basis for the protection of the rights of Indigenous Peoples, providing ancestral domains, cultural integrity, and self-governance. During Indigenous Peoples Month, it is emphasized how this law continues to highlight issues such as land disputes, marginalization, and cultural erosion affecting these communities, which are the foci of activities pursued to gain knowledge about these cultures, including cultural exhibitions, storytelling, and forums that would also lead to useful knowledge about environmental conservation and living sustainably.

    This year's theme calls for a reminder from all Filipinos to uphold responsibility in valuing and protecting indigenous knowledge. In this sense, traditions should be preserved and rights met, all with the genuine aim of propagating inclusion-in the contributions made by indigenous peoples and in their welfare, expressed mainly in terms of education, health, and the protection of ancestral lands. The joy of celebration is harnessed in that it calls for stronger heritage and the handling of systemic issues. And then, it strengthens indigenous peoples' value in national development and cultural preservation.

References:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FIndigenous_peoples&psig=AOvVaw1QRfnkw4wePZwjYT6UflSe&ust=1732709444603000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBEQjRxqFwoTCOienuP7-YkDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Ffoodtank.com%2Fnews%2F2014%2F02%2F3-reasons-you-need-to-support-indigenous-peoples-even-if-you-are-not-indige%2F&psig=AOvVaw1QRfnkw4wePZwjYT6UflSe&ust=1732709444603000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBEQjRxqFwoTCOienuP7-YkDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAI

The youth is the hope of the nation

    Each November, the Philippines celebrates National Children's Month-an avenue for promoting children's rights, welfare, and safety. The theme for 2024 resonates profoundly on "Break the Prevalence, End the Violence: Protecting Children, Creating a Safe Philippines," speaking to the urgent need to address violence against children so that they are protected. It's not just a slogan but one of the most important reminders of each of our responsibilities in creating a nation where every child feels safe, valued, and nurtured.

 

    Violence against children is a deep-rooted evil-psychological and physical affliction capable of destroying the life of any child. Spanning from abuse at home to school bullying, these circumstances often endure for a lifetime, and that innocence is stolen away. The Center's 2024 theme inspires all sectors-working government agencies, communities, schools, and families-to work together in breaking cycles of abuse. Education empowers families, community-based child protection programs are supported, and stringent laws against child abuse are enforced. These are the strides we make to finally end this epidemic.

 

    Fostering a child-friendly Philippines beyond violence comes in the form of nurturing environments of holistic development, quality education, access to healthcare, amplifying children's voices, and making sure they have a say in decisions made about their lives. It's not about reflection of what should be, but something to be done. Whether this will be through community activities, educational endeavors, or even just personal attention given to the needs of children, everybody has a part in it.

 

    Let this year's theme be a call for action, a movement that every one of us participates in, by giving the country a safer and nurturing venue where children could develop and grow with a healthy environment.

References:

https://childwin.org/understanding-navigating-and-addressing-social-determinants-of-health-for-children/