Dumaguete City's Sandurot Festival

Locals of Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental annual held the SANDUROT FESTIVAL every 9th to 15th of November. It is a joyful celebration of the people of Dumaguete, their innate hospitality, friendliness, and their propensity to live harmoniously with people of different race, religion, and cultural beliefs. They have been known eversince to welcome strangers from different shores and countries, and to live with them in complete peace and understanding. “Sandurot” means a unity and genuine harmony.

Donate to Yolanda relief effort information

The Philippine government website (www.gov.ph) posted a “donate to Yolanda relief effort information” where various donors from local and international, cash and in kind, will be properly guided including the contact details.

Link:  http://www.gov.ph/2013/11/12/donate-to-yolanda-relief-effort-information/

Together we stand, divided we fall. It is another instance for Filipinos around the world to show their love and support to their fellow Filipinos badly devastated by typhoon Yolanda. We may not instantly bring back what they have lost but slowly we can help them start a new life.

Oratio Imperata for the victims of the disaster

Oratio Imperata for the victims of the disaster (Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz)

Oh, God our Father:

In faith we acknowledge your paternal care over us, your sons, daughters and children. In hope we trust in your divine providence of giving us wisdom and courage as we face the challenges in life. In love we invoke your help and guidance during these difficult days of death and destruction in our dear country.

Our is a prayer of thanksgiving for once again reminding us that ours is an imperfect world, that heaven is not on earth and that nature every now and then tells us not to abuse her. Ours too is a prayer of repentance for calling upon you when we are in need and desperation but forgetting you in favorable times and pleasing occasions. Ours as well is a prayer of petition as we say:

Grant eternal peace to those who lost their lives. Embrace the children who died in their innocence. Help those who are hurt and cure those who are sick.

Encourage those who suffer the destruction of their homes and properties, and to once again stand up and rebuild their future.

Bless all those who extend their helping hands to those in need of food, shelter and clothing, who share their time, talents and resources with others.

Inspire more people to be men and women for their neighbors, convinced that the more they are for others, the taller they stand before you.

Spare us please from other natural disasters and devastation if this be according to Your will and for our own spiritual good and growth.

[Amen.]

GR 175490: SC reduced interest and penalty charges

G.R. 175490 - Macalinao vs BPI Case According to Supreme Court: The Interest Rate and Penalty Charge of 3% Per Month or 36% Per Annum Should Be Reduced to 2% Per Month or 24% Per Annum

Macalinao petition on this issue was granted by the Supreme Court. It stated that the interest rate and penalty charge of 3% per month by the Court of Appeal should be equitably reduced to 2% per month or 24% per annum. Although it is in the Terms and Conditions Governing the Issuance and Use of the BPI Credit Card, the Supreme Court declared the 3% interest rate as void and as if there was no express contract thereon. The same ruling was applied to the penalty charge, citing Article 1229 of the Civil Code in addition.

Since credit cards usually charge more than 3% interest rate per month, you can benefit from this specific ruling of the Supreme Court. When you become delinquent on your credit card, keep the communication open. Ask for a re-computation of your account/s based on this ruling. Also, it would be better if you kept your monthly statements of account so that you yourself can plot the transactions in your computer and be able to re-compute your account as how the Supreme Court did it.

Transcript of the ruling: http://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/jurisprudence/2009/september2009/175490.htm

Math Student Teacher @ MariSci

Last week, our daughter was chosen by her Math teacher (adviser as well) Ms. Rafaela Arlene Gupit to be her “Student Teacher” for 2 days (October 2-3) in celebration of the “World Teachers’ Day.” Preparations were indeed painstaking but enriching for her. She made her PowerPoint presentation for the 2 topics: Laws of Exponents and Scientific Notation. It seems to be an old topics for her but needed to explore deeply so that she can efficiently and effectively deliver the facts. She made some exercises as well. For 2 days she experienced again how it is to be a teacher especially in Math wherein many students find it hard to deal with but many thanks to the guidance and support of her teacher and she managed to perform her task.

Monday, October 7, surprisingly they had a short program to recognize the Student Teachers. Fortunately, our daughter Ysabel got 2 recognitions for her performance. She got the BEST STUDENT TEACHER for Grade 7 Level and for MATH DEPARTMENT as well. She’s indeed very happy for the recognitions and once again experienced the hardships but rewarding of the noble profession of teaching.

Our heartfelt congratulations to you our dearest daughter! Keep up the good work, keep reaching for your dreams and job well done again. Maybe someday you’ll be a Math teacher. What do you think?

@YsabelNicoleTaruc
@Marikina Science High School

Scientific Notation

I am guiding my daughter in preparing her PowerPoint presentation for her 2-day duty as Math Teacher in celebration of the World Teachers’ Day. One of the 2 topics is she was tasked to discuss was Scientific Notation. Find it easy or hard? I guess pretty easy because you just need to remember simple things in converting numbers from standard form to scientific notation and vice versa. Recall the following:

* Scientific notation is a method of writing numbers as the product of two factors where the first factor is a number greater than or equal to 1 but less than 10 and the second factor is an integral power of 10.

* When the decimal is moved to the left the exponent gets larger, but the value of the number stays the same. Each place the decimal moves, increases the exponent by one (1). If you move the decimal to the right it makes the exponent smaller by one (1) for each place it is moved.

Pointers:

* In writing numbers in scientific notation, you must remember the 2 factors wherein the first factor is equal or greater than 1 but less than 10 & the second factor is an integral power of 10.

* When it comes to decimal point, going LEFT the exponent gets larger and so going RIGHT the exponent becomes smaller. Add 1 to the exponent each place the decimal moves. Going LEFT the exponent is POSITIVE and ergo going RIGHT the exponent is NEGATIVE.

Now get a pen and paper and try the following problems: 1.)  6.8270 x 10^7 ;  2.)  0.000728  3.)  6 271 973 000 000

REMEMBER! The essence of Math education is to make complicated things simple, not the other way around.

Plunder case vs Napoles

An airtight case will be filed against Janet Lim Napoles not later than Monday, September 16,according to President Aquino. This was revealed in an interview to him after the 7th ASEAN Navy Chief's Meeting in Makati. This time the case is in connection with the controversial P10B pork barrel scam. The president will be briefed by the lawyers on the case as to its theory, evidence as well as the analyses and possible defenses.

The president must indeed ensure an airtight case on this issue because the Filipino people will always be watching on every development to see to it that justice will be served and that the culprits will find its way behind bars. As to the politicians involved, I think it's not only the evidence/s of receipt of the blood money that can pin them down on this case but the mere fact or evidence of wasting people's money.

This could be a long battle not only for the government but moreover for the Filipino people against corruption.

PNoy: Plunder case vs Napoles to be filed by Monday

McCann Senior Ad Manager Kae found dead

Last Friday, a senior account manager of advertising agency McCann Worldgroup Philippines, Inc. KRISTELLE “KAE” DAVANTES went missing. On Sunday, Kae was found dead at the Tibagan Bridge in Brgy. Sabutan, Silang Cavite at around 6am. She was brutally murdered: she had several wounds on her neck, her mouth was covered with a handkerchief while her hands were tied with a seatbelt. The victim was last seen in Fort Bonifacio driving her silver Toyota Altis with plate number PIM961 which remains missing. Family and friends created “Justice for KAE” last Monday on social networking site Facebook. Family and friends on Monday created a page on social networking site Facebook named "Justice for KAE."

Missing advertising exec found dead in Cavite 
Calls for justice pour in for Kae Davantes