Currency as play money, the written ramblings of a deranged man on the streets. These are among the recent takes from the meanderings of photographer Aleksi Mari Gumela.

View the FLICKR photoset: Dats Entertainment

Story and images by Leonard Reyes

On the way to an upland village in Sibutad town, Zamboanga del Norte, we chanced upon this scene of small scale miners sifting throgh the mud for gold dust. The work is tedious, and yet the faint glimmer of gold in the muck seems to fuel these miners’ energy. Even youngsters are put to work, as this kind of mining is often a family undertaking.

This estuary (a river’s mouth where it empties out to sea) is a natural waterway for runoff from the upland portion of the terrain. Gold-dust is found here, the area being a former Philex minesite. Alas, mercury, an as yet indispensable element in processing gold, is also present here, eventually finding its way to Murciellagos Bay and in the shellfish and fish. Siltation (from the unusually sticky orange mud) from these runoffs smothers coral and mangrove growth vital to the bay’s ecosystem.

[View the rest of the photos at Leonard's website ]

Ms. Patricia S. Supangco, Vice Principal of basic Education of La Salle Greenhills, Manila during the faculty training last June 4 to 7

Dipolog Medical Center College Foundation recently completed the construction of its new Pre-school building, the most modern in the entire province of Zamboanga del Norte. The new Pre-school building located in the DMC campus is fully air-conditioned, spacious and complete with a mini-library, lockers, special kiddie toilets and sinks, a plasma t.v. and secured by close-circuit t.v. cameras.

The DMC Administration envisions a new era of pre-school education in its integration of innovative Core Knowledge curriculum from the United States and the La Sallian system known for its tradition of excellence. “Good curriculum and modern facilities of course are not enough, a good school must have excellent teachers” says Dr. Gerald Concha, the AVP for Administration. “This is why we recruited U.P. graduates for Pre-school teachers” he adds.

The Pre-school teachers, both graduates of U.P. Diliman were actually not the first U.P. recruited by the DMC to teach here in Dipolog. DMC also has other “imported” faculty members from the premier university in the country. DMC aims to raise the bar for education in Zamboanga del Norte and erase the misconception that provincial schools are not as good as those in bigger cities like Cebu or Manila. The DMC Administration believes that to achieve this goal the school must have the best learning environment and excellent teachers.

DMC Pre-school is headed by Ms. Carrisa Pia Montano - Concha, a Registered Nurse by profession and a mother of two. Asked to comment on the cost of good education, Ms. Concha said: “We work so hard for our children, parents should not scrimp when it comes to education if we want them to have the best life has to offer. The pre-school’s tuition fees are lower compared to the other La Sallian- supervised schools”. They offer classes for Toddlers 2-3 years old, Nursery 3-4 years old and Kindergarten 4-5 years old. Classes have started in DMC for the High School and College levels. The Pre-school will start its classes on June 23, late enrollees are accepted until June 30.

[Press release and photo via DMCF]

The Bayawa family gathered for its annual clan reunion on Saturday, June 21 at the Morton Grove Park District Club House. It was also joint birthday party for 6 family members who are June birthday celebrants.

Zenas Vailoces
Mike Bayawa Pasigna
Brian Bayawa
Ritza Bayawa
Kinjo Ramirez
Joanna Acabal

Celebrations continued the next day with a barbecue picnic at the Montrose harbor by Lake Michigan.

View the special FLICKR album by Joem Bayawa