Results of Chess Arbiter's Tournament Party 2010

We now have the results of the Chess Arbiter's Year-end Party held last December 26 at the Ramon Magsaysay-Cubao High School:

CAAP Chess 960 Final Standing


CAAP Blitz Chess Final Standing


Congratulations to the Chess Arbiter's Association of the Philippines for another year of well-organized chess tournaments all over the Philippines!

Thanks to Mr. Gatz Luz for the results!

How Not to Promote Schools

The end of 2010 is days away and here I am taking a reprieve from all the holiday parties around me. While much of the Christian world has wrongly celebrated Christmas with commercialism, I'd like to share my insights on how not to promote schools. I thought of this post some months ago when I was asked to be part of the judge committee for a local school's "talent show" which was held in one of the malls in Cavite.

In the time of economic recession due to financial blunders of global proportions, finding a carrot to stay afloat in a sink or swim business called education is not that easy and the following ideas might be a good source of inspiration for all the school administrators out there.

Allow me.

1. Lose Terribly in Inter-School Contests

In a single academic year, there are thousands of contests for schools to join in. In the academic area, we have Math Olympiads, Quiz Bee, Oration, Writing contests, Science contests which involves but not limited to experiments and discoveries, Robotics Olympiad.

If you are a school administrator, you would want to send a team that would make a good name of your school. Remember, these inter-school contests are avenues for your students to gauge what they have learned and continue to learn in your school. Parents will be watching these games and you want to keep your customers happy.

It's alright to lose but what's important is you played and participated in the games. But you wouldn't want to become the butt of jokes after the event because these will definitely circle around the schools and nowadays, the Internet has it's way of globalizing almost all kinds of embarrassment for any institution. Take for instance, you joined the Math Olympiad and after the rounds, the judges start to give a wink or a smile to one another whenever the representative of School X take its turn. Or the scribe for the contest tallies the point in favor of your opponent since the scribe has developed the habit of scoring against your team automatically because you have not answered any question correctly since.

Lose terribly in inter-school contests is one way not to promote your school.

The idea stated above applies to other interscholastic events like sports, performance events which include but are not limited to voice and choral contests, debates and speeches, poetry and writing contests and others.

One story I heard:

Inter-School Basketball Tournament. Every member school comes in high spirit, with the full support of every joining schools. Teams come in buses and in complete basketball uniforms. You will notice that a certain popultaion arrives in trickles, using their own cars and arrives wearing their own inter-Baranggay basketball uniforms.

So you begin to wonder if there are other tournaments happening in the same venue but the guys are convening in the same area as you are so that gives you the feeling that they must be a member school. So you wait for their big boss to distribute their basketball uniforms until the whistle blows to signal the opening of the event.

Then everyone takes the cue, each team forms a line and oh how cute these kids are in basketball jerseys, multi-thousand sneakers and all the peripherals these amateurs wear to feel good about themselves. Then you  direct your gaze to the one team that wore no uniform. Ouch!

Parents, tournament organizers, on-lookers, groupies and haters start to ask, what school is this? Joining an inter-school basketball tournament, showing up without any uniform?

That is plain demoralizing for the students and parents are seeing these and you know what, they don't want their kids to be associated with such disorganized school.

2. Do a School Talent Show of Student in Public without Talents

You know what I mean with this. Imagine bystanders, invited guests and again, parents of the students watching the show. With all the billboards and tarpaulins shouting out your school's name while the sing and dance performance of your students were inspired by the likes of Sexbomb Dancers, Madonna, Britney Spears and all the dirty pop-culture you can think of. Students performing in the middle of a mall, wearing  two-piece and dancing with someone what looks like a position straight out of book Kama Sutra.

To make what looks like a gross neglect on the part of the marketing people more serious, you invite a stand-up comedian whose main line of laugh stock is cross-dressing and sexual undertones.          

And then, the school proudly shows off students who can't hit the right note, forgotten stanzas of spoken word performance and in-between, you have technical problems like malfunctioning microphones and master of ceremonies not knowing the singular-plural rules.

What do you get? A blockbuster of flops and boos.

3. Remove/Stop School Programs and Services without Announcement to Parents

Tell all the lies to parents to cover up the real reason for stopping a school program or services which the parents are really happy about. It's like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs if you do this. What happens is that the parents are the last ones to know about the changes in school.

For reasons known only to men of devilish nature, a school will run based on a micro-management albeit dictatorial, certain small schools survive this kind of a system.

One example:

A sports event during summer time is expected to be hot. Then come one teacher excusing herself from the heat, goes to the principal to ask permission to go home. Since we are in a micro-management system, either the principal says yes or no. For the teacher to get a nod, one must say all the negative things about the event.

The bull nods, then comes raging to the event and stops it.

Bravo!

Everyone stops, takes a ride home and laughs at the decision made by the bull. Meanwhile, parents complain about the stoppage and asks, ain't sports supposed to be tiring?

4. Start a Program that Do Not Cater to your Clients

A fact: Football,  basketball, swimming, chess, taekwondo, volleyball, lawn tennis, table tennis, badminton and athletics are some of the proven and tested sports program that truly invites parents to enroll their children in schools here in the Philippines.

Any other program introduced can only tell you two things, either you have a really, really fool-proof  secret program known only to you or you simply want to kiss asses of your bosses.

The four stated ideas are proven ways to promote your schools into oblivion. Any other ideas you have in mind? Send them to me.

Young Knights Chess League

Metropolitan Chess Club, one of the Philippine's finest producer of chess players, announces:

The Metropolitan Chess Club announces the holding of Young Knights League on Dec. 29-30 at Eton Cyberpod Corinthian, Bldg. 1, located at the corner of EDSA and Ortigas Ave. across Robinson Galeria in Pasig, City.

The tourney is exclusively for those who attended the Milo Checkmate program since it was offered last 1990. The seven-round Swiss event is divided into three sections, namely: Open/Advance - for titled players and untitled players whose NCFP ratings are over 1800; Intermediate/Beginner - for players whose ratings are below 1800 or have taken Level 1 and above and Preparatory Section- for those who have have taken Prep 1-3.

At stake is a total pot of P90,000 with the champions receiving trophies and the following top prizes in their respective divisions: Open - P20,000; Intermediate/Beginner - P4,500 and Preparatory - P2,500.

Cash prizes are broken down to 15 places. Top performers in the U2000; U1900 and best lady will also receive cash prize. Other incentives include gift certificates for players who will score 4.0 points in the Open section and 3.5 points in the other divisions. Plaques for best scorers in Prep 1; Prep 2, Prep 3; Intermediate; Jr and Sr Beginners.

Registration is free for GMs and IMs. Entry fees are: Open section-FMs/NMs P150 and untitled - P300. Other divisions are P250. Interested parties may register through email at mccchess@yahoo.com. They must indicate the year they attended the clinic or contact MCC at 826-8560; 994-5199 or 0916-852-1069 or NM Deniel Causo at 0915-689-2359.

Chess Arbiter's Party 2010

Today at 9 in the morning, the Chess Arbiter's Association of the Philippines will have its year-end annual party with a Blitz and Fischer Random Chess Tournament happening at the Ramon Magsaysay-Cubao High School.

We are unable to join the fun today but I'd like to send my congratulations to every Juan and Juanas who have contributed to chess arbitration for the year 2010.

Have a blitzin' and randomly positioned fun today people!

Results of the 8th Art Borjal Rapid Chess Tournament

The 8th Art Borjal Rapid Chess Tournament took place last Sunday, December 19, 2010 at the covered basketball court of Ramon Magsaysay Cubao High School. The crazy weather did not prevent the 83 players from joining the tournament.

WNM Jan Jodylin Fronda of De La Salle University, Charles Daniel Abuzo and Kevin Arquero tied on top with 6 points but Fronda claimed the champion's prize and Top Lady awards after the tie breaks were applied. Abuzo on second place and Top Under 14 while Arquero placed 3rd. Paul Robert Evangelista placed 4th on the over-all standings and claimed the Top Under 14 second place. Naranjo, Balingit, Corpin, Castro, Galan and Flores placed 5th to 6th respectively.

Stephen Rome Pangilinan of Bulacan claimed the Top Under 12 Award,  Marie Antoniette San Diego of Cavite won the Top Female for the top Under 12 and 2nd place for the Top Under 12 while Michelle Yaon went home with Top Under 14 award.

For my wards, Shawn and Iyas, it was enough for them to gauge their current skills and went home with 3.5 points.  Iyas won over Christian Nanola in the second round who was a finalist in the 2009 National Shell Active Chess Championship. For Shawn, it was a learning experience which he could not have gained had he not joined.

Asia's first, GM Eugene Torre gave the inspirational talk and there he emphasized the "learning experience" the players should focus on.

Congratulations to all the players and everyone who made the 8th Art Borjal Rapid Chess Tournament successful! 

Check out the 8th Art Borjal Rapid Chess Tournament Final Standings.


Thank you to Mr. Gatz Luz for the results.
 

Observe and Talent will Show

Our post for today has to do with my article about my post some months ago called Observing the Developing Child: The Key to Understanding Children. SpEd t Majors from the St. Scholastica's College - Manila sent me emails and asked if I can give them some insights about observation and children through an email interview. Since it was the first week of December that I got these emails, I was really neck deep with all the end of the year reports and partying.

From Ms. Lizelle Pineda:

1. Is observing your students/patients important? How important it is as a PT/OT/teacher? What is the purpose of it?
2. How do you observe your students/patients behavior? What observational strategies/method do you use? what do you prefer most?
3. In your work, are you require to conduct a formal data/observation of your students behavior/performance? why or why not?4. What do you do with your data/information that you got after? 


From Xan Cortes:


1.) What is the role of Observation in your career/field?
2.) What methods of gathering and recording data do you use in Observation?
3.) What techniques in Observation can you share to us future teachers?


There was an SMS I received from Ms. Shane Torres telling me she sent an email too but I didn't get any. Anyways, allow me to answer the questions stated although I believe my previous post was enough. 


Observation is defined as the act or faculty of observing; the fact of being observed; the act of noting and recording something, such as a phenomenon, with instruments and the result or record of such notation: a meteorological observation. A comment or remark, an inference or a judgment that is acquired from or based on observing.


It is an act of noting and recording something.


Is it important?


It is important and useful. In fact you do not need to be a teacher, a physical therapist or an occupational therapist to understand its importance and usefulness. Humans have always "observed" to understand and help them in situations.  


Prehistoric humans survived the harsh conditions of life because of observation. They need to eat and the only available food in the wild is a prey that's as wild as a predator. Observe and you will have food on your table.


In relationships, observation is the first tool to use before and during your interaction with one another.


You get to know people easily by observing. In fact, you only have to watch out for body language to give you an idea of who the person is or what he or she is up to.


Observation is a key tool in understanding people,students and a phenomena. I think it is an understatement to say that it is important.


Like the TV ads I saw last year sponsored by the Gifted and Talented Education Association of the Philippines (if I got that right), it said "Observe and Talent will Show."


Observation is everything!

The Children's Library Project Closes

It's goodbye and it's painful!

After ten years of providing an avenue for bookworms and wanna-be bookworms, The Children's Library, a project of the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation, has officially closed last night. The remaining two branches, Imus and Novaliches, bid farewell to all it's patrons last night.

As their in-house storyteller in 2002-2003, I was given the opportunity to provide and facilitate sessions of storytelling and more. I joined puppet shows, book drives and inter-school contests as member and chairman of judge committee, truly a rare project that develops the creative side of anyone wishing to work with people. The Library has hosted thousands of activities that promotes reading, learning, environmental awareness and all sort of stuffs schools all over the world try to promote.

Spelling Bee, Speech and Oration, Mobile Reading Tour and Storytelling Contests are some of the major activities they've supported.  With it's closure,  the Library donated mosts of it's books and DVD's to three satellite libraries to neighboring towns of Imus.

In it's ten years, The Children's Library-Imus has become a part of most kids' malling routine. It has become a place for the youth to converge and read. A place that has offered them a chance to work as a volunteer for the younger ones, the eager ones. The Library has given us, it's patrons, an avenue to just be who we are, people who love to read. It has become a place for birthday parties, educational seminars and meeting place for everyone. The Children's Library has become an icon, a representation of love for learning, anywhere, anytime.

Last night, as I sat with my wife and kids watching the presentation prepared by Ana, Rod and Asia (staff of TCL-Imus), the nagging question in my head distracted me, "What will the people of Imus Cavite, patrons of the Robinsons Mall, do without the Library?"

Sadly, I don't have the answer, nor my wife or anyone I asked later on in the party.

Where do we go from here?

1st National Press Club Chess Tournament

Congratulations to the people who made the 1st National Press Club Chess Tournament successful!

Dubbed as "Massacre in November", the two-day tournament aims to commemorate the massacre of 34 journalists that took place on November 23, 2009 in Ampatuan, Maguindanao on November and at the same time strengthening the media chess players who loves chess.

The event was organized by Attorney Toto Causing, editor-in-chief of Dyaryo Magdalo and sponsored by the National Press Club through its president Jerry S. Yap, was held November 27-28, 2010 at the Bulwagang Plaridel, National Press Club Building, Magallanes Drive, Intramuros Manila.

And the guys who worked their butts off to make sure the tournament run like a well-oiled machine were: International Arbiter and National Master Erwin Carag served as chief arbiter and assisted by Fide Master Christopher Castellano (deputy arbiter), Gatpayo Luz (deputy arbiter), Anthony Bernardino (steward) and George Ibay (steward).

Here Toto Causing's report,  photos from the tournament and the 1st National Press Club Chess Tournament Final Standings:

1st NPC Final Standing

1st Heinzi B. Adam Chess Cup

The 1st Heinzi B Adam Chess Cup is set to to happen on December 4, 2010 at 9 in the morning. An RSVP event, it will take place at the residence of Heinzi Adam in Merville, Paranaque City.

Confirmed to play are some of my students, Shawn, James and Duncorr. I am expecting the members of the Beacon School Chess Club to join the event and also some of my former students.

Prizes include trophies and medals and of course freebies from the birthday boy, Heinzi!

See you there!

Psychoeducational Evaluation Reports in the Philippines

For those of you who work with children with special needs, either as an allied health professional, a teacher, or a staff of the learning support program in your school, this post is for you.. If you are a parent of a child with special needs, this post about Psychoeducational Evaluation Reports is also for you.

For starters, you simply ask, what is psychoeducational testing or evaluation?

It is a procedure or a process done by professionals with students (learners, children etc) meant to estimate a child's actual skill levels. Remember:

"Psychoeducational testing is conducted on an individual basis.  Since the examiner, in a controlled testing situation, is able to monitor the examinee’s level of effort, individually-administered tests provide more valid estimates of the individual’s skills as compared to group-administered tests.  Often, a child’s performances  will be better in an individual testing situation than his/her performances in the classroom.

With this in mind, it is important to remember that the purpose of individualized testing is to provide the most valid estimates of the child’s actual skill levels.  In an uncontrolled environment, such as the classroom, many extraneous factors (e.g., visual and auditory distractions) can prevent a child from performing optimally."

In the Philippines, psychoeducational evaluation has become synonymous with the name Edilberto Dizon, Ph. D. of the Special Education Area of the College of Education of the University of the Philippines in Diliman. I am always thrilled whenever I receive a student's diagnostic reports made by the man, Sir Dizon.

If you read my post three months ago, Special Education Process: The Philippine Experience, the child or student will have to go through psychoeducational testing before the individualized educational plan is written. This report must be distributed among the members of the Rehab Team.

For further reading, I would like you to check out the links below:

• How to Prepare a Psychoeducational Evaluation Report and Testify as an Expert Witness
• List of Psychoeducational Evaluation Instruments 
• Special Servies and Psychological Testing 
• FAQ's About Psychological Testing
  

Other professionals like Developmental Pediatricians will also provide you a diagnostic report but they have never been so in tune with what the educators need to know about their students.Parents have complained too that some of these medical doctors tend to over generalize their diagnosis, in fact the so-called waste-basket diagnosis like Autism and Learning Disability have been used like for forever. The reports they usually send out  factors in on the developmental levels of their clients, ignoring the fact that these reports will be used substantially in the academe.


All these issues are hopefully addressed in Act to Recruit, Hire, and Train Additional School-based Guidance Counselors, Psychologists, School Social Workers and Mental Health Personnel, sponsored by former First Lady and Senator Dr. Loi Estrada in 2004.

New Teachers: September 2010 PRC LET Results

Congratulations to our new teachers!

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and the Board of Professional Teachers (BPT) announce that 7, 737 elementary out of 39,508 examinees (19.58%), 31 Accelerated Teacher Education Program (A.T.E.P.) graduates out of 430 examinees (7.21%) and 9,493 secondary teachers out of 36,714 examinees (25.86%) successfully passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers (L.E.T) given last September 26, 2010 in 15 testing centers all over the Philippines.

The Board for Professional Teachers is composed of Dr. Faith M. Bachiller, Chairman; Dr. Reynaldo T. Peña and Dr. Jesus L. Nieves , Members.

Follow the links below for the results: LET Result September 2010 Elementary and LET Result September 2010 Secondary.

See you around! 

Bacoor Chess Club

City of Bacoor in Cavite, the city that gave us GM Wesley So, IM Ino Sadorra and CM Vince Angelo Medina.

What else can you ask for?

Last night I stopped by and watched a few games in the playing area of Bacoor Chess Club. The play area is located within the vicinity of the intersection of Aguinaldo highway, Coastal Road and Daang Hari. Landmarks are easy to find try this: St Dominic Hospital, Talaba-Bacoor Police Station and Tropical Hut Hamburger.

Let me describe the place.

It's a makeshift play area and it fronts the dilapidated building that has a big advertising billboard on top of it. Chairs, tables, chess boards and clocks are supplied by the store owner and it is interesting to watch how the club members satisfy their addiction. The members convene every night at around 5 and from what I've heard last night, a pair had a record of 30 hours non-stop play.

Who runs the club? Heck I don't know.

One thing is for sure, they have players ready to play with anyone.

The only active chess club in the Province of Cavite is Bacoor Chess Club.

No politics, no geniuses, just chess!

Working with Day-care Workers in the Philippines

I had a great morning today with the day-care workers of the Imus Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office. The seminar-lecture I gave was  Introduction and Overview  of Special Education and Children with  Special Needs.

It is interesting to listen to stories and concerns of the day-care teachers and center aides regarding special education. As usual, the 4-hour  time alloted was not enough and we extended until 130 in the afternoon.

I hope the seminar will enlighten them and see the world of special needs in a new and better light. Here is the Powerpoint Presentation from the seminar:

MSWD Imus

View more presentations from Francis Buenaventura.

Pacquiao vs Margarito 2010 Fight

November 13, 2010 is the day the fight between 7-division World Champion Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito will happen. It will be at  the Cowboys Stadium  Arlington, Texas. The Super Welterweight Championship is at  stake and should Manny win this one, he will have 8 world championship belts in as many divisions.

This is Manny Pacquiao's first fight as a congressman and this also is the fight that Freddie Roach worried a lot. Public service, if that's what you want to call it, has taken so much of Manny's training time and focus. While on the other camp, Antonio Margarito went all out for his training and preparation.

Read Manny Pacquiao's Fight Record and be amazed!

Will it be another championship belt for Manny on Sunday? Or are we seeing the decline of one of the world's best fighter ever?


Whatever the result will be, there will be Live Video Streams available online, Pay-Per-View to be provided by Solar Sports Entertainment, various cinema's all over the Philippines and the one I have to experience yet, watching the live fight at the Cowboy's Stadium.

Beating the Smith-Morra Gambit

It's weekend and after copy editing the presentation for my November 13 seminar-lecture for the Day Care Workers of the Imus Municipal Social Welfare and Development, it is chess time for me.

Having played 1 minute games for almost an hour, I thought of playing longer time controls and I found someone at chess.com willing to play with 15 minute games with an increment of 10 seconds per move. My opponent surprised me with the Smith-Morra Gambit and I faltered with my first 10 moves. Thankfully I recovered and after several more moves I got into a good position and launched a King side attack against my opponent.  

Much has been said about Gambits for chess openings and if one is caught by surprise, youre in for a difficult game. Although I learned about the name of the opening only today, I think I will be careful next time when I play against this chess opening once again. 

Beating the Smith-Morra Gambit @ ChessDotCom.   

The game below: 

[Event "Live Chess"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2010.11.06"]
[White "aarmin"] [Black "Me"] [Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "1585"] [BlackElo "1580"] [TimeControl "15|10"]
[Termination "Black won by resignation"]

1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Bc4 Nf6 6.Nf3 e5 7.Ng5 d5 8.exd5 Nd4 9.d6 Ne6 10.d7+ Bxd7 11.Bxe6 Bxe6 12.Nxe6 Qxd1+ 13.Nxd1 fxe6 14.O-O Bd6 15.Nc3 a6 16.Re1 Kf7 17.Be3 Rac8 18.a3 Nd5 19.Ne4 Be7 20.Bg5 Rc2 21.b4 Bf6 22.Bxf6 gxf6 23.Nd6+ Ke7 24.Nxb7 Rg8 25.Nc5 Nf4 26.g3 Nh3+ 27.Kh1 Nxf2+ 28.Kg1 Ng4 29.Ne4 Nxh2 30.Nf2 Nf3+ 31.Kf1 Rxg3 0-1


Here is the final position, white resigned on his 32nd move:

Bicol Hit by Earthquake and Bulusan Spews Ash

Let's pray for our brothers and sisters in Bicol as they were hit by a magnitude 6 earthquake early this morning, Saturday. As if the forces of nature didn't have enough, Bulusan Volcano ejected "steam and ash" that reached an approximate height of 600 meters at 8:11 a.m.

Bulusan volcano is located in the province of Sorsogon in the Bicol region.

The ash explosion happened hours after the Phivolcs recorded a magnitude 6.0 earthquake at 12:41 a.m.


Bulusan Volcano Bulletin says:

This is a notice for the raising of the alert level status of Bulusan Volcano in Sorsogon Province.

At 8:11 A.M., Bulusan Volcano (12°46.2’ 124°03’) ejected a light grayish steam and ash column that reached an approximate height of 600 meters above the crater rim. The ash ejection was reflected as an explosion type earthquake with a duration of 57 seconds. Seismic records before the event showed four (4) volcanic earthquakes. Field investigation by PHIVOLCS volcanologists disclosed that areas 6-10 km NW of the crater were affected by traces of ash. These are Brgys. Rangas, Aniog, Cogon and Juban Proper, (Juban Municipality), Casiguran Proper and San Antonio (Casiguran Municipality).

In view of the above activity, PHIVOLCS is now raising the Alert Level status of Bulusan Volcano from Alert level 0 to Alert Level I (abnormal). This current activity may indicate hydrothermal disturbance underneath the volcano which may lead to more steam and ash ejections. In view of this, the public is strictly prohibited to enter the 4-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone. People residing near the valleys and streams should be on extra alert against sediment-laden stream flows in the event of heavy rains.

No More NU 107 FM Station

After 18 years of home rockin' radio, Atom Henares, the co-founder of NU 107 radio station announces the end of NU at ANC's Headstart.

NU 107 has been responsible for the boom and bang of Filipino rock bands since the 80's. Why say goodbye when you can keep on rocking in a free world?

Ever heard of In the Raw? NU Rock Awards? Morning Brew? Well if have not, you've missed half of your teenage and young adult life.

Here's a video from NU Rock Awards 1997.

Goodbye for now NU 107!

Lecture-Seminar with Jesus Good Shepherd School-Imus

Last October 27, Wednesday, I shared an afternoon with the grade school teachers of Jesus Good Shepherd School to discuss and lecture on the introductory topic "Spotting and Addressing Learning Difficulty in the Regular Classroom Setting".

We started the lecture-seminar exactly 1 in the afternoon, got one long break of 20 minutes and anorher break for 5 minutes. We ended around 6 in the evening and I felt I can still share and impart thoughts and ideas about learning difficulties in the regular classroom.

Claire joined me the whole afternoon, assisting me with the presentation so I can focus on the discussion part while she deals with the technical issues of the presentation.

I would like to thank the teachers of the grade school department of The Jesus Good Shepherd School for a wonderful and learning experience you all shared with me, to Sister Ales Paz, the school principal who envisions a school atmosphere that provides an education that cares. Thanks to the guidance counsellor of JGSS too, Sister  Lolita J. Guibac.

And as promised, here is the presentation that you can review anytime you want:

JGSSNov2010 spotting.presentation

View more presentations from Francis Buenaventura.

Hanging Piece Tactic

 Here is a position that I have filed in my head and in my chess position collection. I played with the black pieces here against Dennis Patron, my neighbor who has scored much better in our head to head battles. After a couple of moves, the game was drawn via Threefold repetition. I had 5 minutes left on my clock while Dennis had 3. We played 30/g for this game. 

How should white continue here?

All Saint's Day 2010

It's the 30th of October and in the last two days, I've seen how villages and subdivisions transform into a ghost town.  Filipinos have tried so hard to celebrate occasions which we do not really have cultural connections to like trick or treating or halloween celebrations.

As far as I can remember, the last week of October for my childhood meant there wont be any school and I'll be spending my days by then with my cousins in the province. I get to play with melted candle wax when I visit the cemetery and turn it into anything and be scolded by adults.

November 1 is All Saint's Day and it should be observed correctly. It used to be called as AllHallows  or Hallowmas and it is observed in honor of all the saints, known and unknown.

November 2 is All Soul's Day to commemorate the faithful departed. Lucky are the faithful for they are remembered in prayers and by the Church.

The world we are in have been ultra-globalized and the Western culture has penetrated the lives of everyone. Celebrations we Filipinos do not really relate to are now observed and celebrated by the younger ones. Octoberfest and Halloween celebration is a Western idea which we Orientals are now sharing with them. Commercialism is one of the reason why this is happening and the Internet too.

So are you going on a trick or treating this weekend?

3rd MISAA Chess Tournament

The Manila International Schools Athletic Association (MISAA) had it's 3rd Chess Tournament last Friday. There were only two participating schools this time, Esteban International School and Beacon School. The match points were 11.5 to 4.5 in favor of Esteban IS.

The absence of the 1st and 2nd MISAA Chess Champions, Mahatma Gandhi International School (MGIS)made the event lopsided. I would have enjoyed watching the games between  the MGIS players and EIS.

Here is a copy of the two active chess games I played online:

[Event "Live Chess"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2010.10.21"] [White "514"] [Black "chess_kiko"]

[Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "1628"] [BlackElo "1683"]

[TimeControl "20 5"] [Termination "chess_kiko won by resignation"]

1.e4 c5 2.d3 e6 3.Be2 Nc6 4.Nf3 Qc7 5.O-O Nf6 6.c3 Be7 7.Nbd2 O-O 8.d4 cxd4 9.cxd4 d5 10.e5 Ne4 11.Nxe4 dxe4 12.Ng5 Bxg5 13.Bxg5 Ne7 14.Rc1 Qd7 15.a4 Ng6 16.Bb5 Qd5 17.Qe2 a6 18.Bc4 Qxd4 19.Be3 Qxe5 20.Rfd1 Nf4 21.Qg4 Ng6 22.Bd4 Qf5 23.Qe2 b5 24.Bb3 Bb7 25.Rc7 Bd5 26.Bxd5 exd5 27.axb5 axb5 28.Qxb5 Qg4 29.Qf1 Nf4 30.b4 Nxg2 31.Qxg2 Qxd1+ 32.Qf1 Qxd4 33.b5 Ra1 0-1

[Event "Live Chess"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2010.10.21"] [White "chess_kiko"]

[Black "514"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "1677"] [BlackElo "1629"]

[TimeControl "20 5"] [Termination "Game drawn by 50-move rule"]

1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e5 Nd5 5.Bc4 c6 6.O-O Be7 7.d4 b5 8.Bxd5 cxd5 9.Bxf4 Nc6 10.Nc3 Ba6 11.Nxd5 O-O 12.e6 fxe6 13.Nxe7+ Qxe7 14.Bg5 Qe8 15.c3 h6 16.Bh4 Qg6 17.Bg3 b4 18.Nh4 Qg5 19.Rxf8+ Rxf8 20.Nf3 Qg6 21.Bd6 Rf5 22.Qc2 Bb7 23.Qe2 Nd8 24.Nh4 Qh5 25.Qxh5 Rxh5 26.Ng6 bxc3 27.bxc3 Nf7 28.Bg3 Rg5 29.Nf4 Nd6 30.Rb1 Rb5 31.Rxb5 Nxb5 32.Ne2 Bd5 33.a4 Na3 34.Bd6 Nc4 35.Bg3 Bc6 36.Kf2 Bxa4 37.Nc1 Bc6 38.Bc7 a5 39.g3 a4 40.Ke2 Bd5 41.Kd3 g5 42.Kc2 Ne3+ 43.Kb2 Nc4+ 44.Kc2 Be4+ 45.Kd1 a3 46.Na2 Bb1 47.Nb4 a2 48.Nxa2 Bxa2 49.Kc2 Ne3+ 50.Kd3 Nd5 51.Ba5 Kf7 52.c4 Nf6 53.h3 d5 54.c5 Bc4+ 55.Ke3 g4 56.h4 h5 57.Bc7 Ne4 58.Be5 Nc3 59.Kf4 Kg6 60.c6 Ba6 61.c7 Nb5 62.Ke3 Kf5 63.Bf4 Nc3 64.Be5 Nd1+ 65.Kd2 Nf2 66.Ke3 Nd3 67.Bh8 e5 68.c8=Q+ Bxc8 69.Kxd3 e4+ 70.Ke3 Ke6 71.Bg7 Ba6 72.Bh8 Bb5 73.Bg7 Kf5 74.Be5 Bc4 75.Bf4 Bd3 76.Be5 Bc2 77.Bh8 Bd1 78.Bg7 Bf3 79.Bh6 Bg2 80.Bf4 Bh3 81.Kd2 Ke6 82.Kc3 Kd7 83.Kb4 Bf1 84.Kc5 Bc4 85.Be3 Ke6 86.Kb4 Kf5 87.Kc3 Kf6 88.Bf4 Be2 89.Kd2 Bf3 90.Ke3 Kf5 91.Be5 Bd1 92.Bf4 Bb3 93.Bg5 Bc4 94.Bf4 Ba6 95.Bg5 Bc8 96.Bf4 Ba6 97.Bg5 Bc4 98.Bf4 Ba6 99.Be5 Bc4 100.Bh8 Ba6 101.Be5 Bc4 102.Bf4 Ba6 103.Bg5 Bc4 104.Bf4 Bb3 105.Bg5 Bc4 106.Bf4 Bb3 107.Be5 Bc4 108.Bf4 Bb3 109.Kd2 Bc4 110.Kc3 Ba6 111.Kb4 Bc8 112.Kc5 Be6 113.Kd6 Bg8 114.Ke7 Be6 115.Kd6 Bg8 116.Kc5 Be6 117.Kb4 Bg8 118.Kc3 Be6 119.Kd2 Bg8 120.Ke3 Be6 121.Be5 Bc8 122.Bf4 Ba6 123.Bg5 Bc8 124.Bf4 Ba6 125.Bg5 Bc8 126.Bf4 Ba6 127.Bg5 Bc8 128.Bf4 Ba6 129.Be5 Bc8 130.Bf4 Ba6 131.Be5 Bc8 132.Bb8 Ba6 133.Bc7 Bc8 134.Bb8 Be6 135.Bc7 1/2-1/2



RP Baranggay Elections 2010

Baranggay and SK Elections  on Monday, Ocotber 25, 2010. It's a holiday so please go out and vote. Here in the baranggay I belong to, I was surprised to find names on the official list of candidates running for a seat in 0ne of the eight Kagawad slots.

Everyone wants a piece of the power (an illusion!).

Here is something I have not heard in awhile, from my days of punkhood, The Wuds' Bayan Bayanan:

 

Super Typhoon Juan Hits RP

As of today, 12:20 noontime, typhoon Juan has intensified into a "super typhoon" and has landed in the Province of Cagayan.


At 4:00 a.m. today, Typhoon "JUAN" was located based on satellite and surface data at 220 km East of Tuguegarao City (17.6°N 123.9°E) with maximum sustained winds of 225 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 260 kph. It is forecast to move West Southwest at 19 kph.

PinoyHalo gives us the list of provinces affected and the expected wind velocity, check it out. PAGASA Public Weather Forecast gives us a 24 Hour news update too.

Prepare for electrical power outage, make sure you have an emergency bag where you have packed basic needs like food, clothing, ID's and important documents. Stay home as much as you can.

Keep safe everyone!

Lightning Thinking for Lightning Chess

Here is a game that made me smile but made my opponent curse afterwards. So who says chess is boring?

[Event "Live Chess"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2010.10.11"]
[White "AFWAN"] [Black "chess_kiko"] [Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "1738"] [BlackElo "1697"] [TimeControl "1|0"]
[Termination "chess_kiko won by checkmate"]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 e6 4.Nf3 Bb4 5.e3 Ne7 6.Bd3 Ng6 7.O-O O-O 8.Bd2 dxc4 9.Bxc4 b5 10.Bb3 a5
11.Ne4 Na6 12.a3 Bxd2 13.Qxd2 Bb7 14.Bc2 a4 15.Qd3 Nc7 16.Nc5 Bc8 17.h4 Na6 18.Nxa6 Bxa6 19.h5 b4 20.Qe4 Bxf1  21.hxg6 Ba6 22.gxf7+ Kxf7 23.Qxh7 Ke7 24.Qh5 Kd7 25.Bg6 Rh8 26.Qc5 Qe7 27.Rc1 Qxc5 28.Rxc5 Rh6 29.Be4 Rah8 30.Bxc6+ Ke7  31.g3 Rh1+ 32.Kg2 Bf1# 0-1

Supetran Wins 2nd Invitational Chess Tourney

Mr. Danilo Supetran of Treelane 2 Subdivision won the 2nd Southern City I-Tanzang Luma 4 Invitational Chess Tournament with a score of 4.5 out of 5 games. Tied on second to 4th places were Janro Hagong, Bagaipo Asi and Tristan Dandan with 3.5 points.

Carmela Galve of Las Pinas and MILO-Metropolitan Chess Club won the Top Lady award, Dennis Patron won the Top Senior, Jeric Noveloso won the Top Kiddie and John Esguerra won the Top Junior award.

We started the games around 8:45 in the morning, late but somehow we ended after 5 rounds around 2:30 in the afternoon.

By 3 pm the hall we used were cleared and cleaned giving me enough time to rest for the 5 pm Holy Mass.

Thank you to all who supported the event:

• Imus Chess Association President Asi Bagaipo
• Mr. and Mrs. Efren Bersamina for the morning snacks
• Dandan Family for the lunch
• Kagawad Milo Amoroso and Group for the cash prizes
• Mila Pancho for the venue
• Municipal Counselor Shernan Jaro for the Mabuhay Chessboards

Imus Chess Club was considered existent yesterday and come November or December there will be a 3rd Southern City I-Tanzang Luma IV Invitational Chess Tournament. I plan to write a program for Imus Chess Club and name it after someone who will gladly sponsor the endeavor.

But for now, le' me work for a living.

Congratulations to all!

2nd Southern City I-Tanzang Luma IV Invitational Chess Tournament

Another invitational chess tournament I have organized and will be directing tomorrow, October 10, 2010 in the multipurpose hall of the Our Lady of Miraculous Medal Chapel of Southern City I Subdivision, Tanzang Luma IV Imus.

Registration begins at 7:30 in the morning and the first round starts at 8. I will be assisted by Duncorr and JM, two 12 year olds volunteering for the task.

I was able to borrow 6 chess clocks from Mr. Asi Bagaipo, one of the founders of Imus Chess Association. Tournament sized wooden chessboards were borrowed from the Municipal Office through Counselor Shernan Jaro. Eureka chess sets will be used favorably though which were borrowed from the players themselves.

Half of the Juniors Chess Team of the University of Perpetual Help-Las Pinas are joining, Ms Carmela Galve of MILO Checkmate-Metropolitan Chess Club is joining too. The rest are the seniors of our subdivision and baranggay.

Cash prizes were provided by Kagawad Milo Amoroso.

Crossing my fingers now for a successful event tomorrow, it dawned on me that I am assigned to play the guitar with the children's choir for tomorrow's 5pm celebration of the Holy Eucharist.

Long day tomorrow.

John Lennon's 70th Birthday Today

Everybody knows John Lennon and everyone has heard one of the many songs he has written and sung. Google has a tribute to one of the modern world's cultural icon:



Happy birthday to you John!

World Teacher's Day 2010

Happy Teacher's Day to all of you!

I didn't get excited about it nor depressed, but here is one news that would definitely affect everyone in the Philippines:



And another one:



What's your take on this?

If you ask me, I would definitely go for the 12 year Basic Education Program in our country. I will tell you more about it next time.

Octoberfest 2010: SpEd Seminars and Training

A series of seminars this October. If you have time and money, this would be beneficial to your practice. See you there!

Contents and Outline of Training and Workshop for SpEd Teachers

I found my sister's copy of Mobile Training Programs for SPED Teachers and I'm sharing the topics discussed and lectured by the leaders of special education sector of DEPED and UP.

People involved, would be involved and currently involved in special education would benefit from going through the following topics by reading and discussing these with colleagues and experts:

• Overview of Special Education: Rationale, Philosophy and Legal Bases
• Types of Children and Youth with Special Educational Needs (CYSEN)
• Programs and Services for Children and Youth with Special Educational Needs
• Indicators of Mental Retardation
• Indicators of Learning Disabilities
• Indicators of Behavioral Disabilities
• Indicators of Slow Learning
• Indicators of Disadvantagement
• Developing a Clinical Eye: Preparation of Detection Indicators of Exceptionalities
• Psychoeducational Assessment: Importance, Principles and Ethical Standards
• Indirect Measures for Identifying CYSEN: Samples, Guidelines and Techniques
• Developing an Assessment Programs: A Practical Approach
• Preparation of an Assessment Program
• Curricular Modifications in the Education of Learners with Mental Retardation
• Strategies in Teaching Learners with Mental Retardation
• Physical Education for Children and Youth with Special Educational Needs
• Adapted PE for Learners with Mental Retardation
• Modification in the Education of Children and Youth with Learning Disabilities
• Strategies in the Teaching of Children with Learning Disabilities
• Adapted PE for Children and Youth with Learning Disabilities
• Curricular Modification and Strategies in the Education of Children and Youth with Behavior Problems
• Adapted PE for Children and Youth with Behavior Problems
• Curricular Modification for Slow Learners
• Strategies in the Education of Slow Learners
• Curricular Modification for Disadvantaged Children and Youth
• Adapted PE for Slow Learners
• Behavior Modification Techniques in SPED
• Classroom Management in SPED
• Suggested Relaxation Techniques
• Instructional Materials Preparation for CYSEN
• Parent Involvement in the Education of CYSEN
• Networking with Government and Non-Government Organizations: Guidelines and Mechanics
• Planning Programs for Parents Involvement and Networking with GO's and NGO's
• Reentry Planning: Guidelines and Procedures
• Planning for Reentry

The training was sponsored by the Philippine Foundation for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled, Inc. in coordination with the then Department of Education, Culture and Sports and the UP Special Education Area.

Gotta go now!

39th Chess Olympiad: Happenings for RP Teams

I've been in a dream-like mode these days. Requests for speaking engagements and consultancy are coming in from left to right and I haven't had the time to play and read about chess until now.

First, GM Rogelio "Joey" Antonio is out of the Philippine Team and he was replaced by IM Richard Bitoon. Richard Bitoon was GM Wesley So's 2nd in the Amsterdam Tournament he played in recently. Just in case you were living under a rock, you for sure first got that news here.

In round one of the Olympiad, RP team scored 4 points against Korea. In round two we lost against Spain 2.5-1.5. In round three, RP scored a draw against Scotland 2-2. Philippine team plays Paraguay in 4th round.

Team composition of the Philippines for the 39th Chess Olympiad:

Board 1: GM Wesley So
Board 2: GM John Paul Gomez
Board 3: GM Darwin Laylo
Board 4: GM Eugene Torre
Board 5: IM Richard Bitoon

Philippine Women's Team:

Board 1: Cheradee Chardine Camacho
Board 2: Catherine Perena
Board 3: Shercila Cua
Board 4: Rulp Ylem Jose
Board 5: Jedara Docena.


Chaperones for the 10-man Filipino delegation are NCFP executive/events director Wil-lie Abalos and coaches Atty. Edmundo Legaspi (men) and Cesar Caturla (women). NCFP President Pichay and secretary-general and Tagaytay City Mayor Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino will travel to Khanty-Mansiysk later next week.

Persons with Disability: Beyond Special Education

Having attended an exploratory meeting with various stakeholders of special education for the municipality I am in, I realized one thing: Special Education as practiced in the Philippines needs to be more than what it is now. Most scholars, students and parents of children with special needs are dead focused on putting their kids in the schools when there are other programs these children can benefit from.

Why so? Because normalization process for Children and Youth with Special Educational Needs (CYSEN) has to follow the path of the "regular child". Why would we populate the failing public schools with the so-called CYSEN when we can create a program tailored-fit for their success?

Think about it.

On to my afternoon.

The entire meeting I felt like the special education system in the Philippines totally missed the point, the point of practical education, education for life. The theme of the meeting was basic and yet it was substantial. I'd give half of my week just to go through the same meeting but I'd be giving the emphasis on the following issues for Persons with Disabilities (PWD) :

• Identification of population of the sector 
• Education Scholarship or Assistance 
• Assistive Devices Assistance OR Medical Assistance (surgical operations)
• Employment Assistance OR Internship/Practicum Assistance 
• Discounts on Basic Commodities and Medicines

For PWD's, special education is simply one of the many programs and services they should have access to. It is an important part of their integration in the society but there is more to the lives of PWD's than special education.

Mayor Alfredo Lim blasts IIRC Report

Now you know how it feels to receive all those medals, plaques, citations and recognitions from various sectors of the society and get the raw end of the deal. You now know how the dead hostage taker captain Mendoza must have felt when the Ombudsman took his plea for granted and favored the "revered" rich member of the Philippine Society.

Exploring Programs and Services for Special Needs

After ten years of working in the world of special education and rehabilitation, I am now at least about to attempt to break grounds with people in the government to lay out possible programs and projects for people with special needs.

At about 3 in the afternoon today, I'll be meeting one municipal councilor in our town to explore possible projects and proposals aimed to promote and protect the lives of people with special needs. I have so much ideas in my head right now but I need to control the urge to post them all here for now. Maybe I will list the major categories of what I have in mind:

• Conducting a census of the town's special needs population
• Training and  Education of the Children and Youth with Special Educational Needs (CYSEN)
• Awareness Campaign (Government Employees and Public Servants, Private Organizations etc.)
• Livelihood Projects for CYSEN
• Linking with Institutions and Experts in the community and other neighboring towns 

So far these are the major concerns I will be bringing on the discussion table and these ain't simple tasks. It's time to test all the theories on community development.

Semper ad meloria!

Learn More About Seminar Series: Photos and PowerPoint from CDE

We received the photos from the people of Claire Dandan Events, the organizer of Learn More About Series seminar. It was a terrific Sunday afternoon as we discussed issues and concerns about special education as practiced in the Philippines.

I, together with the organizers are very thankful for the participation of everyone in making the event successful. We were graced by the students from St. Scholastica's College-Manila, teachers from Jesus Good Shepherd School, Southdale International School and Imus Institute. We had student participants from the high school department of the University of Perpetual Help-Las Pinas, Stepping Stone Learning Center-Makati, Hansel and Gretel School of Cavite. We also had a participant from Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila-College of Medicine.

We had one participant coming from Bulacan, one from Quezon City and the rest from the nearby towns and cities.

Let me share the photos now:

And as promised, here is the slide presentation:

Learn More About Seminar Series:  Special Education

View more presentations from Francis Buenaventura.


More photos at Claire Dandan Events @ http://clairedandanevents.blogspot.com.

Living and Working in Morocco

Somebody emailed me asking about Morocco. Let me list down some reminders and  concerns for you if ever you will accept the job offer they are giving you:

• What kind of job are they offering you? Is it an institution who has contacted you or a private individual working for one of the very few rich families in Morocco?
• What are they offering you? Just remember if they really want your services and that they have no one but you in mind, you can ask for the sky and they will try to give you at least one of the stars. That's a good deal!
• Morocco is a friendly place for friendly guests. 
• Try to visit Ifrane, Marrakesh, Volubilis, Rabat, Casablanca and other ancient cities of Morocco.If possible, visit all the Mosques and other burial grounds of their Kings.
• If you are a Filipino, email me in private and I will give you email addresses of the Filipinos living there.
• If you are like me who wants to travel and see places where I am in, you have to learn basic Moroccan Arabic. If you learn this, taxi's and use if the train will be your second and third name.
• Befriend locals and they will be your guide. 
• A point and shoot camera is better than nothing. But if you can bring your own DSLR the better.
• If you like snow, better be in Ifrane around March and April.
• Rabat, the country's political capital, but it looks like the Makati Business Center without the malls and the high rise buildings. It's clean, nice city roads and has a beautiful traffic system: NO TRAFFIC. Before I left Morocco, they were putting up tramps there.
•  Casablanca is the country's economic capital. It looks like the Escolta side of the City of Manila. The same old buildings can be found there and the traffic going in the city from the Autoban is terrifically congested.
• Their money is called Moroccan Dirhams. If you will not be given the working visa, you will have a hard time sending money (US dollars) overseas.

I lived in Ifrane and Meknes when I was in Morocco and I had the chance to see beautiful and ancient places there. It is still a backward country with 80 percent of the people not having access to education. Watch out for Islamic traditions, they observe and practice them.

Respect the people there and they will admire you for having an open mind about their culture.

That's all for now and do send me an update about your plans.

Good luck! 

Learn More About Seminar Series: Special Education

In less than 3 hours from now, I will be speaking in front of some 30 or more individuals interested to know more about special education. I have checked the preparation made by my wife and her staff at Claire Dandan Events and they did a great job in creating an a cozy venue out of the The Children's Library.

I did a trial presentation with some volunteers from the library and everything went smooth and perfect. I hope to see all of you there and share with me an afternoon of special education overview of the overlooked issues.

Here is a copy of my introduction for this afternoon:

Learn More About: Special Education

Francis A. Buenaventura

B.S. Occupational Therapy, M.A. Special Education (candidate)

Introduction

Special education has always been a part of my life. Having a brother with special needs gave me the chance to see the world of special education up close and personal. It was hard, it was difficult and it was embarrassing. It wasn’t easy but with God’s blessings and continuous guidance, we made it. The role my parents took and the responsibilities they had as a parent of a child with special needs was critical but they were up for the challenge, they were ready.

The Special Education we all know of now is very different from what was written in the books two or three decades ago or even more. At the turn of the 19^th century, special education meant children will have to go to a special school where they are segregated from the “normal dudes”. The social stigma of having a family member with special needs was way too heavy a burden that most of these kids are tucked away, hidden from the view of the outside world.

In the 80’s the world of education changed its course of direction. With the enactment of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of the US Government, children with special needs in the United States were given the chance to go through the “normalization” process.

With this, the educational leaders of our country learned a lot from the system. Slowly, we changed our organizational structures, we shifted our views from an “embarrassing” to the “normal” state and we embraced and accepted Students and Children of All Abilities. Thus, opening the what-was once- hidden world of special education to everyone.

When the needs were laid out and brought into the open, we soon found every turn and breaks to be a major difficulty. There weren’t any law or global proclamations to guide governments to help these children. From the leaders to the practitioners of special education, we were lost.

 

That was thirty years ago.

Today, children with special needs are accepted into society.  Advocacy groups can be found in almost all major institutions. The internet did not forget and helped in the information dissemination of the special needs. Non-government agencies are set up to safeguard the rights of each person with special needs. UN Proclamations, Philippine Constitution and Republic Acts are there to promote equality among everyone.

But do we really know these? Can we quote the rationale of the SpEd programs in our schools if one non-special needs parent requests for the pull-out of the special child in the regular classroom?

Do we know how much children with special needs are enrolled in the Philippines? What are the 3 guiding principles of an Inclusive Education? Where did we get the terms Gifted and Talented and what does that mean?

As a teacher, what’s the use of all these?

As a member of the town council, what can we do to promote this?

As a parent, what are the rights of your child with special needs?

As an administrator of your school, what can you do to protect both your school and your students in relation to special education issues?

As a mall operator, or a business organization, are you aware of the laws pertaining to the sector of our society?

Today, I will to give you an overview of the overlooked areas and issues in special education. An overview with a bite and hopefully a positive overload!

Let us exchange ideas and learn from each other.  Just sit back, relax, enjoy the  afternoon and celebrate life!

See you there!

Tourism in the Province of Cavite

The Province of Cavite proudly calls itself Historic and rightly so! Let's check this one out:

Long known to be a picturesque province, Cavite is a land blessed with a galore of natural wonders, making it gleaming and a perfect place for a memorable eco-holiday. The province boasts some of its most superb mountains, cave and falls which can truly fascinate its numerous visitors. Natural wonders in Cavite are mostly found in the upland areas such as Tagaytay Ridge, Cabag Cave in Maragondon, Balite Falls in Amadeo, Malibiclibic Falls in General Aguinaldo-Magallanes border and Mts. Palay-Palay and Mataas na Gulod National Park in Ternate and Maragondon. Meanwhile, a number of historical and religious sites are also located in province, which have defined significant events and have illustrated human creativity and cultural traditions. Each site tells its own distinctive story. Some of these sites are sacred and some are commemorating battlefields. More importantly, all of these places have contributed a sense of time, identity, and place to our understanding of Cavite as a whole.
Tourism Nodal Points

As a premiere tourist destination where variety of attractions and entertainment facilities are available, Cavite’s four (4) cities and nineteen (19) municipalities are clustered into three tourism nodal points for the particular interests of visitors belonging to different market segments:

1. Tagaytay – Upland Area is famous for natural tourist attractions and is conducive for meditating, sight-seeing, picnicking, and other countryside activities

2. Ternate-Corregidor- Naic- Maragondon Area is popularly attractive because of the presence of world-class beach resorts complementing the area’s historical attractions

3. Kawit-Cavite City Area, Cavite’s focal point for the pieces of rich historical legacies the great Caviteño forefathers gave for the birth of Philippine Independence.

And the real reason for my post here is the announcement slash invitation I have from Cavite Provincial Board Tourism Inc.  :

Greetings!

 CAVITE PROVINCIAL TOURISM BOARD (CPTBI) sincerely invites you to visit the Tourism Trade Fair today Sept. 17 – 19, 2010 at Summit Ridge Promenade, Tagaytay City as a part of our Tourism Month Celebration this is also to inform you and all CAVITE TOURISM STAKEHOLDERS and Cavite LGU’s Tourism that CAVITE PROVINCIAL TOURISM BOARD (CPTBI) is now accepting membership, the printable soft copy of the membership form of CPTBI is attached in this email.

     Tourism Month Celebration

Tourism  Trade Fair

        September 17-19, 2010

          Summit Ridge Promenade, Tagaytay City

       Skills Training Program ( Reception & Tour Guiding Techniques )

September 22-24, 2010

DAP Tagaytay City

2^nd Familiarization Tour

Cavite Heritage & Tourism Cites

September 28, 2010

        Mt. Pico de Loro Adventure & Fun Hike

September 30, 2010

(deatil of the Tourism Month Celebration call: Liberty Herrera - 09175010764)

Thank You Very Much!!!

Cavite Provincial Tourism Board

www.cavitetourismboard.org

Very interesting!