Batanes Escapade!

Batanes: An Unexpected Journey to the North

Hello everyone!
A few weeks ago, I went on an unplanned but unforgettable trip.
My superior had a conflict of schedule and tasked me to fly to DepEd Division of Batanes to orient Grade 2 teachers on contextualization. As the focal person for Grade 2 learning resources, I gladly accepted the responsibility and immediately booked a flight to Basco, Batanes. Yey, my first time there!

But as with all great journeys, this one wasn’t exactly smooth sailing.

My flight was scheduled at 6:45 a.m. from Clark International Airport—a loooong way from my place in Binondo, Manila. So, I had to travel all the way to Pampanga a day before. Compared to the NAIA terminals, Clark is smaller, with limited space and seating. There were benches, sure—but definitely not enough for the surge of international and local travelers. I ended up not getting any sleep that night.

At exactly 4:00 a.m., passengers started forming queues. I quickly headed to the PAL counter for check-in to avoid the long line of tourists. I later learned that Clark starts its operations at 4:00 a.m.—good to know. After checking in and paying the terminal fee, the rest went by smoothly.

This was my first trip to Batanes, and I was absolutely thrilled! Colleagues who’ve been there shared glowing stories about the breathtaking views and peaceful vibe of the province. So naturally, I told myself: “Once the orientation is done, I’ll use every free minute to explore this dream destination.” But the question was... with whom?

Luckily, Dr. Romel Costales, a Regional Supervisor from DepEd Region 2, had the same idea in mind—to go around and see the places we’ve only heard about in stories.

On Day 2, we set off for Sabtang Island, our first destination. At dawn, we headed to the port to catch a boat going there. While waiting, we had the chance to visit the famous Honesty Store, just a few steps from the pier.

I was truly amazed.

The store had no staff—just shelves of items, a price list, and a payment box. Transactions went on entirely on trust. What struck me most were the words written on the table:

"This store is too little for dishonest people."

Simple. Profound. Powerful.

I hate to cut this short, but urgent tasks are calling. Don’t worry—I’ll be sharing photos so you can catch a glimpse of the journey.

Thanks for reading, and until my next travel tale.

Sometimes, the best trips are the ones we never planned.
#BatanesJourney #WorkAndWander #DepEdTravels #UnexpectedButUnforgettable

2017 Capacity Building for the Disaster Management Group of DepEd Employees

I learned a lot from the Disaster Preparedness and Search and Rescue Workshop spearheaded by the DepEd DRRMs Office for DepEd employees.   We, participants, learned to save lives in such a short time, carried victims to safe places,  met new sets of rescuers along the way, and gained wisdom from experienced officers from Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

It was hard and difficult days but all the participants did their share - area cordoning, hailing, cribbing, and shoring.  The participants were very serious in doing their tasks at hand.

What struck me most was the parting words given by one of our trainers, "I know that you learned a lot from us. Hopefully, these newly-earned skills  MAY NOT BE PUT TO USE IN YOUR LIFETIME!"

2016 Metrobank Outstanding Teachers

Hi everyone.

In case you are not yet aware of who the 2016 Outstanding Teachers are, well, here they are.  I am so glad that one of the teachers came from Naujan, Oriental Mindoro - my hometown.

Congratulation to all the winners.  Thank you Metrobank Foundation.

(Photo credit: Manuelito Santos - Department of Education)

The elementary competition winners are: Winona Diola of De La Salle Santiago Zobel School (Muntinlupa City); Rujealyn Cancino of Lingayen I Central School (Lingayen, Pangasinan); Josephine Chonie Obsenares of Butuan City SPED Center (Butuan City, Agusan del Norte); and Arnol Rosales of Francisco Melgar Memorial School (Naujan, Oriental Mindoro). 

For the secondary competition, the winners are: Dr. Roy Basa of Negros Occidental High School (Bacolod City, Negros Occidental); Nelson Agoyaoy of University of the East Elementary and High School Department (Caloocan City); Ma. Regaele Olarte of Muntinlupa National High School-Main (Muntinlupa City); and Dr. Katherine Faith Bustos of Nueva Vizcaya General Comprehensive High School (Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya).

(Photo credit: Manuelito Santos - Department of Education)

Flat Broke

I felt so financially drained this month.  Bills keep coming, Insulin expenses on my medication continue to grow,  business ventures dropped to its low, and so forth and so on. In fact, I had all my valuables either sold or put into pawnshops just to recover my losses only to find out that I was getting deeper into the limbo.  My wife's, financial resources likewise dwindled due to massive assistance she'd extending me.  Damn!

I was asked, "What was the heaviest thing that you carried?" I replied without out a blink that the heaviest thing that I carried is an empty wallet.  Up to this day, I've been experiencing that and to add grains of salt to my already wounded ego, I am now literally naked wearing only a sweet smelling scent.

Politically Correct Terms

psychotic      socially misaligned
intoxicated    sobriety-deprived
misbehavior  negative
lazy               motivationally dispossessed
boring           charm-free
janitor           environmental hygienist
dishonest      ethically disoriented
wild              free-roaming
extra-large    generously cut
failure           incomplete success
worst            least best
balding         in follicle regression
short             vertically challenged
nagger          verbally repetitive
screamer       vocally appreciative

Source: Unknown (not mentioned in the hard copy) 

Magtiwala sa Ating Kakayahan

Dapat lamang na magtiwala tayo sa ating kakayahan.  Hihina ang isang tao kapag alam niya na siya ay may masasandalan dahil ibubuhos niya ang buong tiwala sa kaniya.  Subalit kung wala tayong inaasahan lalabas ang tunay nating kakanyahan at iigting ang pagtitiwala natin sa ating sarili.

Ingatan ang Gamit

Ingatan natin ating mga gamit
Bag, cellphone, at pati na ang wallet
Mga magnanakaw kaygaling maniktik
Lahat ng bagay kanilang pinipitik!

Best Chess Game I Had

I will share with you one of the best games I had in 2015 and you can find it here in this article, Amateur Playing Like a Pro. Click the link and enjoy.

Internet Society Online Course

I am finally done with my Internet Society online course.  I would like to thank my moderator Biljana Gilsovic Milic and the Internet Society for giving me this 2015 Shaping the Internet - History and Futures Asia Mini-Course (Delta).  I learned a lot from this course especially interoperability, internet governance, invariants, and many more.  Hopefully, I will be given opportunity to study more.

Guess Who I Found Last Christmas?

🎄From Holiday Cheer to Hardwood Legend — A Surprise in Navotas!

We were simply on a family visit to our relatives in Tanza, Navotas—a classic Filipino weekend: good food, loud laughter, and catching up with titas, titos, and cousins you only see once in a blue moon.

The vibe felt a bit like Christmas, even if Santa wasn’t anywhere in sight.

But guess what?

I didn’t find Santa Claus... I found someone taller. 😄

Standing head and shoulders above the rest—literally—was none other than Marlou Aquino, one of the Philippines’ greatest basketball players of all time!

Yes, The Skyscraper himself.

That moment felt unreal—like seeing your childhood basketball card walk right past you in flesh and blood!

From barangay court legends to PBA icons, Marlou Aquino’s name is etched in hoops history. And there he was—casual, unassuming, and still a towering presence in every sense of the word.

Proof that sometimes, the best surprises don’t come wrapped in red and gold—they stand 6’9”, wear slippers, and have a smile that could light up a whole barangay..

Wrong Prayer!

Before November 8, 2013, Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) struck and heavily hit the Philippines.  Prior to that date I deeply prayed that the above-mentioned typhoon would rather hit China and not my beloved country.  You must know for a fact that China had been bullying the Philippines for a long period of time so I asked the indulgence of the Almighty to instead strike forcefully China and not my country.  Wrong prayer!  What happened to my country?  Parts of the country had been heavily devastated by the typhoon.

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Days ago, the driver of the van (Pasig-Quiapo) I been riding  did not give the change (sukli) that rightfully belongs to me and I totally forgot about it until I left the vehicle.  While walking, I remembered about the change.  Oh that bitch... I immediately whispered a silent prayer that this driver suffered an accident and worst stumbled upon the biggest structure.  Wrong prayer!  While walking, I was bumped by this wide-bodied man along Ortigas Avenue and minutes after that I stumbled upon the smallest stone and almost suffered head contusions.  Whew...

Moral of the story:  Always pray for the good of others.

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At the office, I learned a very important lesson from the story shared by my colleague...

BOY:  When do we pray?

OLD MAN: Pray as if it is your last day in this world.

BOY: How do you know it is your last day?

OLD MAN: No one knows.

Moral of the story:  Always pray. 

The Department of Education is Mourning!

The Department of Education (DepEd) deeply mourns on the sudden and unexpected death of Undersecretary for Finance and Administration Francisco Varela who, many believe, was one of the greatest officials of the department.  He died last August 29, 2015 in an accident at Pililia, Rizal.

In my long years of stay at DepEd, I have noticed his advocacy on anti-graft and corruption and his relentless efforts on instituting educational reforms in the biggest public organization in the country. Not only that he possessed good looks envied by many, he was also a smart guy -- he graduated Magna Cum Laude in Mathematics at Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan and finished Master of Science in Industrial Economics at the Center for Research and Communication now known to be the University of Asia and the Pacific.

He is definitely a big loss to the department but a huge gain to heaven.

Flowers everywhere - DepEd
September 3, 2015
(Photo Credit:  Beth Soriao-Urbano)  

Farewell to Usec. Varela at Deped,  September 3, 2015
(Photo by the author)

DepEd employees and friends prior to releasing the white balloons
September 3, 2015
(Photo by the author)

DepEd officials
September 3, 2015
(Photo by the author)

My Interview Experience!

Whew!  How fast time flies.

As part of the Department of Education’s Rationalization Program, employees were encouraged to apply for various positions across multiple strands — and being the largest public organization in the country, the choices were as abundant as budget insertions in Congress. (Oops.)

As a mid-career professional, I wanted to make sure I aligned my next move with my strengths. So I scanned the vacancy list with laser precision and ended up applying for not one, not two... but six plantilla positions. Yep, six.

“Why not just 2 or 3?” you might ask — and honestly, I asked myself the same thing. Was it confidence? Was it desperation? Maybe a bit of both. But to be fair, there were no limits to the number of submissions. I even heard one guy applied for 32 positions — imagine the deforestation that required. Sarcastic chuckle.

The Terrible Turn of Events

Fast forward to July. I overheard one of my superiors mention that no one applied for a Senior Education Program Specialist (SEPS) position in the Instructional Materials Council Secretariat (IMCS) — which was being reorganized under the Bureau of Learning Resources (BLR).

That struck me.

I was sure I applied for that very position. So I did what any rational, slightly panicked employee would do — I rummaged through my receiving copies like a madman.

Lo and behold — there it was.

My IMCS application, filed and received properly. So why wasn’t I on the shortlist for interview?

I marched to the Personnel Division (PD), evidence in hand. "How did you know there’s a list? That’s confidential!" one staff whispered. I smiled awkwardly, guilty as charged. But Sir Albert, ever the gracious gentleman, took my document, checked the records, and told me to come back on Monday. Hope flickered.

Monday Blues... and a Miracle

That Monday (let’s skip the exact date — suspense is good for the soul), I stopped by the DepEd chapel to pray for a little miracle. Afterwards, I headed back to PD, holding on to faith... and caffeine.

There I found Ate Meling, who helped me go Sherlock Holmes on my folder. As we combed through it, I noticed two documents with my name — but one was incorrectly labeled. Aha! We found the glitch in the matrix.

She called Sir Albert, who confirmed the mix-up and assured me my name would now be included in the interview list.

YES! VICTORY!

But wait…

At 8 PM that same night — ding! — I got a text:

“You’re scheduled for interview tomorrow morning.”

WHAT?!

I had barely 6 hours to prep. No time for a new haircut, let alone a new soul.

The Interview: A Comedy of Nerves

Tuesday morning came. I walked in, head held high, heart pounding like a drumline.

The panel didn’t hold back. They grilled me on policies, past outputs, and my performance as Education Program Specialist II. It was a behavioral interrogation — the kind where you summon all your “what did I do with my life” memories and try to fit them into the STAR framework (thank you, University of Sheffield online course).

Despite my preparation, I stumbled. My nerves got the best of me. I stuttered. I second-guessed. I could feel my confidence slipping out the door — maybe to join the applicant with 32 submissions.

Honestly, I left the room disappointed with myself.

A Question I Won’t Forget

Then came the most haunting question of all, from the Union President:

“You’re an IMCS staff applying for SEPS, right? There are 9 available positions. What if everyone gets it — except you?”

Oof.
I breathed in, and answered honestly:

“That would be disheartening, especially since I’m from the inside. But maybe that just means I still have to grow and develop myself further.”

Reflection

Looking back, the experience taught me more than any seminar could. It reminded me that mistakes happen, that even a misplaced document can change the course of someone's path — and that you can lose a battle and still win the war.

So yes, I may have faltered. But I showed up. I asked. I followed up. And when things went wrong, I did everything I could to set them right. That, for me, is already a small victory.