Feature…
Trinidad assures cheap
educ at its town college
Rey Anthony Chiu
TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, April 20, 2012 (PIA) – Tough times call for tough decisions. Certain that education is the quickest way to help its people out of poverty, Trinidad town continues to shoulder the responsibility of making quality education affordable for its constituents.
Sending a child to college is already expensive enough, getting him away from the farm and paying for a boarding house in the city may be too much for a poor family in Trinidad, explains former mayor Judith Cajes.
We need to have an affordable school which does not sacrifice quality education and allows students to be near their families so they could double up working in support to their farms, she added.
The decision to absorb the operation of the Trinidad Junior College by the local government unit was easy, even if by so doing, the town would be saddled with the burden of streamlining the school operational processes to cut on costs, Cajes shared, the risking the taunt of local governments shunning form school operations for its being a much too heavy investment.
A college established by well meaning residents in 1985 for exactly the same purpose, the school administration desperately needed fresh management capabilities that could overhaul the operational processes and thus keep the tuition fees competitively low.
In 2003, then Mayor Judith Cajes administration took over the operation of the school and started managing its operations, streamlining processes and re-organizing set-ups towards a more efficient operation to cut losses and bring down tuition fees, said former congressman now Trinidad Mayor Roberto Cajes.
Adopting the new name Trinidad Municipal College (TMC), the town struggled to keep the school operational until a few years ago, that is, in 2007, local officials realized running a school with cheap tuition fee and boasting of quality education can even become an economic enterprise, shared Jojeline Ruiz-Buendia, town information officer.
At P125.00 per unit, TMC can proudly claim that it has the lowest tuition fee among the schools in the area,” Buendia said.
Anchoring on information and industrial technology training as the newest most promising course that could hand young students work certificates especially with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority implementing its ladderized programs, TMC student proved they can be a force to reckon with, during the recent district skills meets.
“Under the excellent stewardship of the Board of Trustees, led by Mayor Roberto Cajes, the school rose to prominence and gained respectability when it topped the 1st Bohol ICT Summit held at the Bohol Cultural Center, Tagbilaran City last year,” she proudly beamed.
IT students flaunted their knowledge during the quiz bowl, web designs, Pinoy IT henyo and graphic design competitions and secured top spots as they competed against other colleges in the province of Bohol during the summit, according to Buendia.
“We do not just leave our graduates to find work, we train then so it has also become out responsibility to help them land jobs,” Cajes, who administers to his husband’s office work as the town chief executive said.
Proof of that, the town accordingly accepts on the job trainings by their school graduates and eventually hired its graduates to the government’s key positions.
Hired graduates who are now steering key positions in town include Municipal Human Resource and Development Officer Quirino Nugal Jr. Municipal Budget officer Medina Macua, I.T Department Head Marlon Macua and TMC School Registrar Apolonia Balonga.
This year, TMC offers Bachelor of Arts (AB) Major in English and Political Science, Bachelor of arts in Elementary and Secondary Education. It also opens up additional courses for SY 2012-2013 like Bachelor of Science in Criminology, Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology and other related courses.
With over 1069 students last year, the town has funded the construction of more buildings to accommodate the increased enrollment, confirms Mayor Roberto Cajes.
Serving not only Trinidadnons but also students from distant towns, TMC has equipped itself well with facilities that help students in their physical and mental development.
TMC has a gymnasium, volleyball court, twin tennis courts, Library and also shares the Municipal Library, computer laboratories and its own Chemistry laboratory.
The school also maintains a 24-hour security service to ensure safety and protection of all students and personnel.
Even with all these, a streamlined operation still absorbs the costs otherwise lost to cumbersome processes is what keeps the school maintain the lowest tuition fee rate in the region.
Interested students can enroll at TMC anytime as classes start June 13, according to Buendia. (30)
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“Rhymatics” finds rap, medium for youth talk
By Rey Anthony H. Chiu
If you associate today’s hip-hop, rap and rhythm and blues (RnB) with the punks and social rejects, you are among the many who are sold out to the idea that this music is nothing but scratch (pardon the pun).
Rap, hiphop, and RnB are often associated with ghetto blacks, punks, addicts, tattoos, silver jewelries and monotonous beat.
But while some people abhor rap like they hate the plague, a young group here sees it as a perfect medium to talk to the young, to lift from their experiences and restate universal messages that get to their core.
According to Rhymatics, a group of young musicians who bonded themselves in September of 2008, rap inspires them to get their messages across to the youth, who are their most avid music fans.
Rhymatics comes from studying rhymes and making them the measure for creative expression, members tell.
Composed mostly of vocal performers, Rhymatics recently sent an original rap composition to the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) Pop Music Festival, 2011-2012.
The entry “Bangon Pilipinas” landed them a spot among the top 80 finalists in a contest that is carried in the country’s airlanes courtesy of the KBP member stations and Click Music Philippines Incorporated.
It would be decided by the original Pilipino music based on which entries have the most downloads by April 27.
Bangon Pilipinas, a song that aims to awaken the youthful idealism, is the group’s words to society so dipped in apathy, members said.
Its lyrics read: Wala na bang pag-asa, na ang bayan natiy umunlad / Kasakiman ang dahilan kaya tayoy di umuusad / Dagdag na trabaho ang sigaw ng mamamamayan / Mabuting edukasyon ang hiling ng kabataan.
Kabataan ang sinasabing pag-asa ng bayan / Kaya’t dapat sila’y pahalagahan. Mga istambay, tigilan ang paglalasing, Baka di magtagal, sa alak mapraning /Kayoy kumayod at magtrabaho / Hwag kayong magpakalunod sa bisyo.
Akoy nananawagan, pakinggan ang aking payo / Ito ang panahon para tayo ay magbago / Ito ang taon paunlarin ang republika Ang masasabi ko, Pinoy bumangon ka!
Bangong Pilipinas, Tayoy magkaisa / At ang bandilay itaas / Dapat magtulungan, para makaahon sa kahirapan / Problemay malulutas kung tayo ay magsusumikap / Kilos mga kapatid, Kayud mga Pinoy Bangon Pilipinas.
“The song’s message is good, reality speaks, and we can not just let the government work, we have to do our share,” Braylle Emmanuel Ungab, who is also known in the city’s rap circle as Bee-emzee, stressed.
“It is our first song with a message to the society and is composed for us by a Boholano composer, Jake Warren L. Hubac of Dampas District,” Lloyd Anthony Pis-an, also called “Stielo”, said.
“Around 75% of our music today is either hip-hop or rap, and being a sure hit among teens, finding rap is an open dance floor for expression of emotions,” Beemzee said.
“Once you are a rapper, people see you as attention seeker, but rap expresses emotions, feelings and if you understand the culture, it's not showy when you express your feelings,” adds Frenches Phoebe Ungab, the only female in the group of four.
“It's something like this, I love to look at people who dress well and can sing, and the tendency is we would like to emulate them, so comes the option to get our experience across through the surefire formula kids listen to,” said “Madd Nille” Nille John Cutor while unconsciously gyrating to an invisible beat.
Rap is, at this time, the easiest way to express our own experiences, thoughts and feelings, said Stielo.
“I sing more of love songs, but most of the artists in Bohol are into rock and reggae,” interjects Cheska.
“When I was introduced to rap, a started to look into the lyrics and took it from there,” she said, convinced.
Where musical groups bond themselves with musical instruments, Rhymatics thread themselves with the beat.
Be-emzee shared that the group is more on vocals and in the absence of instrumentalists, he admits using rejected canned instrumental mixes from the internet, interesting beats from music circles abroad coming out distinct in their music.
So the next time you hear rap music, move through the bombastic bass and get to the lyrics. Chances are, the message is just there, hidden in the clutter of monotonous beat, and, well scratch. (RAHC/PIA Bohol)