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Serve the People whatever it takes.

JGAN

His name is John Gherald Aguilar Navera, nineteen years of age, born and raised in The Special Science and Nature City, the town of Los Baños in the province of Laguna. He is an alumnus of Christian School International. Currently a freshman student taking up Bachelor of Science in Development Communication at University of the Philippines Los Baños.

 This was his story, when he was in high school, he joined several clubs and one of the clubs he had joined really touched his heart that made him wanted to pursue Development Communication. That was Multimedia Arts Club, he joined that club and served as the Videographer, Director and also as an officer. Where they started to produce videos. But he doesn’t have any formal experience in writing for a school publication or broadcasting.

Despite all the challenges that he would face, he determined to pursue the course because he knew what DevCom’s primary purpose and that is to help the poor and contribute to the betterment of the society. Hopefully by pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Development Communication, he is able to serve the people by helping them to have a better life. Because he wanted to help the people in his own little ways. Even though he was not a good writer, he thinks that he could still do better by practicing and keep learning from his professors. After examining and analyzing, he thought that it was a field of study that was perfect for him because this will provide different opportunities that will help him grow, develop and improve. He said to himself that after finishing the program, he’ll help them as he could do. Para sa bayan!

The annual Bañamos Festival opened last September 16 with a thanksgiving mass succeded by the opening of Barangay Booth Fair at Paciano Rizal Park, Los Banos . The fair showed the livelihood programs that empower different sectors and the products they can offer. Fourteen barangays came up with each diversed and well thought out booths and together they line up near the shore of Laguna de Bay for the celebration of their town.

Barangay Tuntungin-Putho filled their space with products from their livelihood programs. Most of their products were made out of recycled materials, one of this is the “Bag for Life” from scratched papers and stickers, newspapers, and magazines made by the women of their barangay, anoher one is the flower beads made by the students in order to help their parents in their schooling, not only these but there are many recycled materials the barangay has thought off. Hon. Captain Ronald Oñate said that there is no need to buy if they can make one. He strongly believed that there is no such thing as waste, that it can be used in other form and be a source of income to many. Their project’s goal is reduce waste in their barangay while helping their people to earn and that was made true and fulfilled as seen in their booth.

Barangay Bagong Silang, on the other hand, being in the foot of Mt. Makiling showcased their their agricultural products. The booth was filled with various fruits and vegatables as Hon. Captain Marcelo C. Navarez talked about how they need focus on oragnic farming to preserve the environment in their community and this was also seen and fulfilled as seen in their booth.

Barangay Tadlac with their crocodile lake exhibited their future plans to it to promote tourism while Barangay Bambang showed the Aguas Santa Resort that is the point of discovery of Los Baños and their livelihood project of stitched products.

These are just four out of fourteen barangays and the rest surely did presented their booths splendidly. According to councilors Janos Lapiz and Benny Alborida, the booths presented the characteristics of each barangays and highlighted their products. They also stressed that in the unity and foundation of each citizen, you can see what really is Los Baños and the life in it, and that the booth fair just reflects on how through the diversity of each barangay, they are still one for the good of their town.

To sum up, even with a heavy rain and cold breeze of the lake, the citizens welcomed the opening of the Barangay Booth Fair warmly. Every “Elbi people” came to visit the booths joyfully.

A self-proclaimed empath is what she describes herself. She has this exceptional way of feeling everything around her. She gets deeply affected by the stories of people, books, documentaries, news, and movies. This quality ignited her to do something bigger than herself, something that will outlast and outlive her. Having the heart for the people, she has faith that she, no matter how small, can also make a difference.

Simple probinsyana with a bold and daring heart eager to further go the distance; she came from Lucban, a small town located at the foot of Mt. Banahaw in the province of Quezon. She believes that growth doesn’t happen in the comfortable so she bravely got out of her comfort zone and accepted the challenge of being an Iskolar ng Bayan.

Kate Abulad is a first-year college student at the University of the Philippines Los Baños taking up BS Development Communication. She considers herself one of the lucky Isko’s and Iska’s of Batch 2019. Up to this day, she still hasn’t fully grasped the thought of being able to enter the county’s top premier university. All of these, she owes to the great mercy of God. And now that she’s there, she will not waste a single opportunity to attain her best self and in time, serve the people.

Writing has always been a huge part of her. Since elementary, she was a part of the school publication and was also exposed to various press conferences and essay writing contests yet she never considered herself good in the field. She owes her teachers for seeing the potential in her that she wasn’t able to see in herself. Writing is also her solace. When she feels like everything’s bottled up inside her head, all she needs is a pen and a paper to set those thoughts free. She is also a fan of diaries and journals because she believes that there’s something very sentimental in keeping a record of a specific moment of her life. By rereading those, she can look back and reflect on the growth that she had along the process. She can write in different genres but she finds the ideas more easy-flowing when she writes feature articles and topics that are personal and are related to her own experiences.

Kate is a firm believer that experience is the best teacher. She doesn’t wait until an opportunity knocks on her door; she searches for them and grabs them. Traveling is one thing that makes her feel most alive. Her ultimate dream is to visit many places in the world. For her, there is nothing more fulfilling and purposeful than being able to experience things first hand, being able to meet new people, try their culture and genuinely learn from them. After all, that is what life is all about, having stories to tell and people to inspire.

By Dane Christian Morena, Eunice Dianne Algar, and Mark Vincent Mercene

On the night of September 19, people filled the General Paciano Rizal Park to witness this year’s Bailamos Dance Contest: Make Your Move, one of the features in the week-long annual celebration of the 18^th Bañamos Festival.

10 teams qualified to compete for the championship title, namely: King of Buck, South Style Flava, Hybrid Buck, Next Attraction, Squammies, Street Kings, NGDC Vengeance, Nazty Boys, G7, and Scammaz.

The participants were judged by Jayson Lagrada, a municipal youth development officer; Jocelyn Ann Luna, an adviser of UPLB Street Jazz Dance Company, and Pinch Araneta based on the criteria of overall choreography, synchronization, originality, and audience impact.

Three teams dominated the dance floor and owned the major awards of the competition. Nazty Boys came second and received a cash prize of Php 10,000.00; Scammaz placed first and obtained Php 15,000.00 in cash and was also hailed as dancer of the year. Topping all of them, is G7 who went home with the championship and a reward of Php 20,000.00.

Lemuel Millena, a member of G7, said that unity and faith to the Lord paved way for their award-winning performance.

“Ang Bailamos ay for modern na sayaw for group of friends, mga magkaka mag-anak, magka-klase, na nagsasama, nagbuo para magkaisa na magbigay ng entertainment sa people of Los Baños to celebrate Bañamos 2019”, said Jonathan Natividad, the officer-in-charge of Los Baños Tourism, emphasizing the objective of the program.

The name of the event, Bailamos, is a Spanish word which means “let’s dance”.

by: Mia Bueta, Christine Casido, and Catherine Uy

Amidst the gloomy weather, the General Paciano Rizal Park was still jam-packed with people on the night of September 19 at 6:00 in the evening. The people were patiently waiting for the annual Bailamos Dance Contest: Make Your Move, which is one of the most awaited activities in the known Bañamos Festival, in celebration of its 18^th year anniversary, held in Los Baños, Laguna.

The main goal of Bailamos is to showcase the different talents not just of Los Baños locals but also other towns around Laguna as well. However, this year most of the contestants were from Calamba and Los Baños only. Top priority of this event said by Mr. Jonathan Natividad, OIC in Los Banos Tourism, is the safety of the contestants, so as much as possible death defying stunts are prohibited.

The group should have at most 15 members with the age range of 16 years old and above. Each group should not exceed to five minutes and must showcase street style, hip hop, locking, etc. Dangerous stunts are strictly prohibited. Moreover, dance, steps, body movements, choice of music are signs of morality and good conduct, stated by Mr. Natividad.

This year’s set of judges are Mr. Pinch Araneta, Mr. Jayson Lagrada and Mrs. Jocelyn Ann Luna. Expectations from this year’s contestants are higher as Mrs. Luna said, “Last year judge rin ako dito, so dapat mas level up ang performance nila”, and the contestants did not disappoint.

There are a total of 10 contestants who joined this year’s competition. But among the groups, only three have met beyond the judges’ expectations, namely: Nazty Boys (2^nd runner-up), Scammaz (1^st runner-up), and G7 (Champion).

Having the least number of members, G7 still managed to win the judges’ heart through strictly following the criteria. Clean dance moves, safe stunts and facial expressions are what made them stand out. Bringing home 20,000 cash prize and certificate, half of this will be given to their parents to give back as being their inspiration, stated by Mark Justine Likayman, one of the members of G7. Their win was unexpected for they are just newly formed last March and it was their first time joining the dance battle.

After all the performances, a unity dance was presented showcasing the 10 groups in one dance number. A special award was given to Scammaz, the group who won 1st runner up, as the Dancer of The Year.

In celebration of the 404th founding anniversary of Los Baños Laguna, the annual Bailamos Dance Contest is a great opportunity for the youth to showcase their talents in dancing as stated by Mr. Natividad. The event has highlighted the culture of the people of Los Baños as their supportiveness and loud cheers were evident throughout the evident.

Bañamos festival ends its 2nd day of the weeklong celebration with “Barangay Night” at the Municipal Hall along with the participation of all the barangays of Los Baños.

The Barangay Night has been a long-term program for every celebration of Bañamos festival wherein the 14 barangays of Los Baños gather to celebrate, have activities and showcase their talents.

The 2019 Barangay Night is scheduled on September 17 and to start at 6 PM. The program officially proceeded around 7:30 PM and began with the convocation. Following the convocation are the opening speeches from important guests such as ABC President Kapitana Arlene Delos Santos, Konsehal Janus Lapis, Konsehal Mark Lester Dizon, Konsehala Josephine Evangelista, Konsehal Marlo Alipon and Congresswoman Ruth Hernandez.

2nd District of Laguna Representative Ruth Hernandez included in her speech several important bits of future plans for the town of Los Baños. She explained the possible plans to solve the problem of traffic in Los Baños such that by building a road that would route from Calamba circling the shorline to Bae. She also adds information about the plan for the national sports training center. “Nandun palang sa initial stage ng pagpupulong, kausap na po naten ang chancellor ng UPLB ano po, si Sir Sanchez, kasi finofloat naten ang idea na dito po ilagay sa UPLB ang National Sports Training Center” Congresswoman Hernandez says.

The highlight of the night is the competition where each of the 14 barangays showcase their talents and their unity. Presentations include dancing, singing and even acting. In between the dinner and program proper, there were raffle draws for the participants. Prizes are also expected by the end of the night which are to be rewarded to the winners. ₱10,000 for the 3rd place, ₱15,000 for the second place and ₱25,000 for the 1st place. The barangays who would not land a place will still leave with ₱5,000 each as consolation plus additional ₱10,000 for each barangay coming from the sponsors. The hosts mentioned the primary sponsors for making the program possible whom were Rodel Pabalate who donated with ₱100,000, Mayor Caesar Perez with₱40,000, Gov. Ramil Hernandez who sponsored the raffle giveaways and Ruth Hernandez with ₱20,000.

Undersecretary Martin Diño was also present and gave his personal greetings and speech for the barangay. His speech included important news and announcements relevant to barangay governance.

“Inilabas na ng Senado ang kanilang desisyon sa extension ng barangay official, kaya ngayon hindi na kayo mangangampanya next year. Extended kayo hanggang 2023, yan ay ayon sa desisyon ng Senado” Diño says.

He also mentioned the proposal of salary increase and benefits for barangay level officials.

“the barangay official shall consider as regular government employee with big salary,insurance, dental and medical coverage, and retirement benefits”

He ends his speech by emphasizing the importance and role of the barangay unit in helping national governance. “Tandaan niyo ang barangay ang first line of defense ng gobyerno na to. Lahat ng utos ibinababa sa barangay. Magmula sa kampanya ng illegal drugs. Ang gobyerno na to ay umaasa sa barangay, kaya napaka laki ng tulong ng ating mga barangay officials when it comes to peace and order.”

Department of Education (DepEd) Los Baños spearheaded this year’s “KASskwela: Kultura, Awit, Sayaw pampakwela ng mga eskwelahan” to celebrate various cultures in the Bañamos Festival at General Paciano Rizal Park.

Public Schools District Supervisor Dr. Allan Hostalero stated that this cultural show served as a culminating activity as part of DepEd’s curriculum in preserving arts, culture, and literature.

“This event [also] intends to exhibit different talents of our students,” Dr. Hostalero added.

The show started with an opening prayer, followed by the singing of the national anthem and Los Baños hymn by the Los Baños Brass Band. Dr. Hostalero, along with several government officials, then, formally opened the program.

Different talents such as playing rondalla instruments and folk dancing were showcased by participating schools from the municipality.  The schools were as follows along with their respective cultural performances:

• Tuntungin-Putho Integrated National High School – Piliin mo ang Pilipinas
• Bagong Silang Elementary School – La Jota Moncadena
• Bambang ES – Curacha
• Bayog ES – Pandanggo sa Sta. Clara
• B.N. Clara ES – Konan
• Lalakay ES – Sinisiki
• Lopez ES – Gaway-gaway
• Los Baños Central ES – Saguin Saguin
• Maahas ES – Pandanggo Rinconada
• Malinta ES – Malong Malong
• Mayondon ES – Alcamfour
• Paciano Rizal ES – Polkabal
• San Antonio ES – Lapay Bantique
• Tadlac ES – Paseo de Iloilo
• LBNHS Batong Malake – Panderetas
• LBNHS Poblacion – Pandanggo Wasiwas
• Mayondon NHS – Singkil
• B. N. Calara Integrated NHS – Dugso
• Senior High School – Jota Batangueña

Parents also expressed their support to the event by letting their children take part in the cultural presentations of the schools. “Para madevelop ang kultura natin [at] para malaman din nila yun,” Chona Alcana, parent of a performer, explained.

LGUs, MDRRMO, PNP, and DOH together with DepEd systematized the flow of the program and ensured the safety of the attendees of the cultural show.

“Hangga’t nandito ang DepEd, hindi kami lilihis sa pagpromote ng culture and arts,” Dr. Hostalero promised.

In line with their objective, he mentioned that the faculty department will also be displaying Philippine culture in the celebration of the upcoming National Teachers’ Day.

(Kilay on Fleek Girls)(Judica O. Bisnar, Aryandhi A. Almodal, Elysse B. Bejar)

By Dane Christian Morena, Eunice Dianne Algar, and Mark Vincent Mercene

On the night of September 19, people filled the General Paciano Rizal Park to witness this year’s Bailamos Dance Contest: Make Your Move, one of the features in the week-long annual celebration of the 18^th Bañamos Festival.

10 teams qualified to compete for the championship title, namely: King of Buck, South Style Flava, Hybrid Buck, Next Attraction, Squammies, Street Kings, NGDC Vengeance, Nazty Boys, G7, and Scammaz.

The participants were judged by Jayson Lagrada, a municipal youth development officer; Jocelyn Ann Luna, an adviser of UPLB Street Jazz Dance Company, and Pinch Araneta based on the criteria of overall choreography, synchronization, originality, and audience impact.

Three teams dominated the dance floor and owned the major awards of the competition. Nazty Boys came second and received a cash prize of Php 10,000.00; Scammaz placed first and obtained Php 15,000.00 in cash and was also hailed as dancer of the year. Topping all of them, is G7 who went home with the championship and a reward of Php 20,000.00.

Lemuel Millena, a member of G7, said that unity and faith to the Lord paved way for their award-winning performance.

“Ang Bailamos ay for modern na sayaw for group of friends, mga magkaka mag-anak, magka-klase, na nagsasama, nagbuo para magkaisa na magbigay ng entertainment sa people of Los Baños to celebrate Bañamos 2019”, said Jonathan Natividad, the officer-in-charge of Los Baños Tourism, emphasizing the objective of the program.

The name of the event, Bailamos, is a Spanish word which means “let’s dance”.

(LB Times Version of this Article: https://bit.ly/2LrK08G)