New Year, Stronger Me

I have gained many learning this year. But for me, the greatest learning that I have learned is to trust myself more. Sometimes, even when I know that I can do it, I won't do it. It feels like there is something that's stopping me from doing it. Just like in making my blogs, web page and other requirements. I can do it, but sometimes I am afraid that I might not satisfy my teachers. There's this point when I looked at myself in the mirror and realized that I must trust myself. I must, because in the end, I'll only have myself. And that's when I overcome those challenges that came in my way. 2019 was a challenging year for me. I faced many challenges where I get to know myself more. Moving on I will never forget that I have myself and God whenever I have a problem. I will do everything to reach my goals and will always be humble. I will face 2020 with a wide smile and a strong personality. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, earthlings!

reference:

https://giphy.com/gifs/thetherapist-viceland-the-therapist-xUA7aMk0sps9bZdvOw

HO-HO-HOLIDAYS

              a Child
                 Has been
             boRn for us,
  a son is gIven
           to uS;
     authoriTy rests
    upon hiM; and
       he is nAmed
               JeSus.

So in the place where the animals slept, Mary gave birth to Jesus, the Son of God. Jesus' bed was the manger that the animals ate their hay from. When Jesus was born, a brand new bright star appeared in the sky. The Three Wise Men knew that a new star would appear when a great king was born. And so they set out to find the true king and bring him gifts. They bowed down and worshiped him. The gifts were gold (kingship on earth), frankincense (deity), and myrrh (death).  And that was the story of Christmas. 

It's the time of year again. December has come with the cold breeze and all the joys of Christmas. But still, some of us aren't aware of the true meaning of this season. Is it the gifts under the tree, the lights in the windows, the cards in the mails, dinner with family and friends, Christmas lights everywhere, and shouts of "Merry Christmas" to those we know? Is this really Christmas? Some people are sad about Christmas because they don't have enough money to buy gifts for their children or even to cook food for their 'munting salo-salo'. Yet, Christmas is a season of great joy. It is a season of hope, healing, love and renewed strength. In this time, we thank God for all the blessings he gave and will give to us. Christmas also gives us hope that someday somewhat, we will reach our dreams with the help of Jesus. It is the time when we forgive and be forgiven. It is the time when all our wound will be healed. It is the time when we show our love and affection to our loved ones, family, and friends. Materials gifts are not the important ones. The best gift that we can give to someone is our presence, love, and care. 

We can truly be happy on Christmas! No matter what may be happening, we know that God is with us. Heaven will be our home someday. Look at Christmas in a new way this year. This is the year to invite Jesus and accept him in your life. Jesus is the reason for this season. You will then have a Merry Christmas. HO-HO-HO!

references:
https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/301319031293889456/?lp=true
https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/christmas-gif

PULL THE PLUG

"They are supposed to be enforcers of this law and yet many policemen are violators themselves."

"In order to appear strong and show force, men inflict violence."

"I'm afraid to go out at night because men are becoming more and more violent."

"No matter what your age is, if they want to harass you, they will."

Those are only some of the statements of victims of violence. Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC), and we are no stranger to these four words. It is real. It is happening. It is claiming lives. And it is becoming worse. Men are called leaders and providers, while women are the supporters and nurturers. But as time passes by, men seek for more power to the point that they violate their wives or worst, their children. Many Filipino women and children continue to experience different forms of abuse everyday. Some experience physical violence such as punching, kicking, or hitting. Another form is sexual violence which is the most disturbing form. Rape, sexual harassment, forced engagement in sexual activities, sexually suggestive remarks, and incest are some examples of sexual violence. Intimidation, stalking, harassment, humiliation and verbal abuse are examples of psychological violence. And lastly is the economic abuse or violence which include destroying property, making women financially dependent, banning work opportunities and deprivation of resources. According to the DSWD in the year 2014, 3,168 girls experienced abuse and 131 of them were babies under 12 months. Age is not a problem when a man wants to harass. Even if you're a baby or an old woman, you can be a victim of violence. After harassing and abusing them, 1,149 girls were being abandoned and neglected. And most of the women, especially children are being sexually abused. The painful thing is that, most of the cases of sexually abused children are by incest. Which means, they aren't even safe inside their homes, with their family. And yes, policemen and other politicians are the enforcers of the law against violence. But, they committed most of the cases about violence. Policemen, soldiers, retired personnel, and even priests. Imagine, they should be the one helping us in preventing and stopping violence against women and children but they are the suspects. What is happening to us?

I hope this served as an eye-opening to everybody to stop violence against women and children. And for those who turns a blind eye whenever they witness these things, wake up people! Remember every victim that has died because of physical abuse, sexual abuse, and psychological abuse. Think of every baby, who never got the chance to grow up and see the beauty of the world because of violence. Think of every old woman, who can't fight back and got nothing to do but cried and asked for help. Think of every teenager and kid, who lost their right and dignity at a very young age. Think of every mother and wife, who tried their best to love and stay beside their husbands. When a victim comes to you, help them. If you are a victim, tell it to someone. We should help each other. Are you still gonna let these things happen? How many more lives are we gonna lost just to satisfy these people? Let us pull the plug on the violence against women and children.

references:

https://giphy.com/gifs/mic-rape-sexual-assault-culture-lanXabtiOAAF2

https://giphy.com/gifs/mic-tw-sexual-assault-harassment-8d7Itj5eRd9wQ

The Movement

As time goes by, the Earth is getting destroyed. Our Earth is being destroyed. And it is being destroyed by us, humans. We should be the ones protecting and preserving it, but what is happening? Tell me, what is happening? Human activities such as deforestation, improper waste disposal, burning plastics, and kaingin are some of the reasons why our environment is being destroyed. We were supposed to maintain our environment clean and healthy, but are we still doing our duty?

November is the month of Environmental Awareness. It is about the promotion of national awareness on the role of natural resources in economic growth and the importance of environmental conservation shall be done through environmental education. In other words, Environmental Awareness Month is all about being aware of the natural environment and making choices that will benefit the Earth, rather than destroy it. The main goal for this month is to implant in the minds of the people that we should be protecting the Earth instead of destroying it. Some of the ways that individuals can do to protect the environment are the following: reduce, reuse, and recycle which means to be careful on what you throw away and follow the 3R's to conserve natural resources, bike more and drive less, shop wisely meaning to buy less plastic and instead bring a reusable and eco-friendly bag, volunteer to clean-up activities in your community, educate yourself about environmental awareness so that you will have something to share to others, plant a tree because trees provide us oxygen, learn to segregate waste, and don't send chemicals into our waterways. These are just simple things but it will have a large impact on our environment. 

It's never too late to do the move. We still have time to save our environment, our Earth, our home. Think wisely, think about your future, our future. Do you want our children and future generations to live in a world where all you can see is wastes, wastes and wastes? Can we just help each other rebuild and save our planet?

Resources:

https://homdor.com/search/jack-benny

https://giphy.com/explore/save-our-earth

https://giphy.com/explore/help-each-other

Our Youth, Our Hope, Our Future

The month of November is the month of children or also called as Children's Month. The theme for this year is "Karapatang Pambata: Patuloy na Pahalagahan at Gampanan Tungo sa Magandang Kinabukasan". It focuses on the rights of every children which are not familiar to some. This celebration made people realize that children is as precious as gem.

This Children's Month Celebration aims to recognize and celebrate children as the most valuable assets of the nation because they are our hope, as well as to emphasize the importance of their role in the Filipino society. The celebration also aims to empower children as right-holders and duty-bearers to deliver commitment to promote, protect, and fulfill their rights as children. Many activities such as seminars and the highlight of the Children's Month Celebration here in Vigan is the appointing of the Little City Officials and Little Provincial Officials. The participants are SSG Officers from different grade levels who deserve to be recognized. The appointed Little City Mayor is Alliah Nicole Sayo, the SSG President of Ilocos Sur National High School. She is also the Little Governor of the said event. Other participant were from the Vigan National High School East, Vigan National High School West, Divine Word College of Vigan, University of Northern Philippines and other private schools. The conducted seminars talked about the rights and benefits of children in which people are not aware. The organizers of this celebration helped each other to promote a child-sensitive environment in where every child know his or her rights and advantages. As we can see, lots of children are being harassed and abused in different ways. The Children's Month Celebration is a big help for them to fight for their rights. It is also a motivation for them to stand up and helped for the other children who are also being abused and harassed.

Let us remember that the youth is our hope for a better future. Let them enjoy their childhood instaed of harassing them. We should love, care and give them the help that they need. Let us support them in everything they do and do not stop them in reaching their dreams. Because in the end, the child that you harassed and abused will be the one who will help us. 

Resources:

https://tenor.com/view/kids-playing-football-javin-gif-10174405

https://giphy.com/explore/future-children

Hand in Hand

Filipinos are known all over the world for our good traits and values. That is why, we should continue to teach the youth and children to stay humble and good. But look around us, teenagers and also young children are so focused on using gadgets such as cellphones, laptops, and tablets. We can also notice that children nowadays don't know how to use "po" and "opo" which is very sad. 

Every November, the Values Month is being celebrated. This year's Values Month Celebration's theme is "Pamilyang Pilipino Patatagin; Susi sa Paghubog ng Kabataang Makadiyos, Makatao, Makakalikasan, at Makabansa". This year, the Values Month Celebration focuses on teenagers because just like what I've said before, teenagers and kids are very into gadgets and other stuffs which is too early for them to explore. The theme shows that every learning begins in home. This celebration aims to develop teenagers to become better people for their future. Some of the activities conducted during this month-long celebration were the essay writing: which helped the students in developing their writing skills, prayer making or doxology: which strengthens the faith of students in God, quiz bowl: which is good for students because they gained more knowledge about being a good person, and many other activities. In this short period of time, students had the chance to showcase their hidden talents and to change for the better. 

Losing in those activities isn't the important thing, but gaining more knowledge and realizing that they should do what is the right thing to do is the important thing. Rizal said that the youth is the hope of our future, that is why we should help them in bringing out their best. Let us help in strengthening the 4Ms in them: Makadiyos, Makatao, Makakalikasan, at Makabansa. And to my fellow teenagers and kids, let us try our very best to change for the better not only for ourselves, but for everyone around us. Let us face the future hand-in-hand. Let us prove that we are the hope and that we will make the future better and brighter. Will you take my hand and join me?

resources:

https://giphy.com/explore/change-the-future

https://tenor.com/view/sherlock-benedict-cumberbatch-sherlock-holmes-will-you-help-me-help-gif-4883515

UN: Eye Opener

United Nations Celebration is being celebrated every year to commemorate the day when the United Nations was created. It is also celebrated to honor all the work they have done to promote peace all over the world and keeping their relationship with other countries stronger.

United Nations Month is being celebrated every October. Some students still question why we should celebrate UN Month. The answer is that, everyone, especially the youth should know what is happening not just in our country, but all over the world. We should be aware on the different problems, status, needs and happenings around us. Some of the activities that were conducted were Essay Writing Contest, Poster Making, UN Quiz Bowl, and Mr. and Ms. UN wherein students had the chance to showcase their strengths and talents. The winners of the just conducted Mr. and Ms. UN were Froilan Pascual of 10- Rizal and Dyan Veracion of 10- Markov. 

I am very sure that after the UN Month, the whole student body gained ideas and knowledge about the issues and concerns of our country and the world. I truly hope that all countries will have a strong connection and relationship with each other. Always remember that all of us humans are the same. We may have different cultures and beliefs, colors, and place where we came from, but the most important thing is that we care, love and respect each other. We should rise, not individually, but as one. I know that this UN Celebration served as an eye-opener to all of us.

Resources:
https://giphy.com/explore/holding-hands
https://giphy.com/explore/world-peace