1st Bohol Education Summit with focus on ICT held

The ICT-focused Bohol Education Summit was held on March 2, 2017 at the Café Dolores of Bohol Tropics Resort in Tagbilaran City. This was part of the triple event 5^th VICTOR or Visayas ICT Organization Conference, 1^st Bohol Education Summit and 3^rd Creative Conference or CREACON, all three events happening in Bohol.  This was sponsored by the DICT and spearheaded by the Bohol ICT Council led by President Ms. Joanne Phillips and past president Ms. Lai Biliran, the Bohol Investments and Promotions Center of the Provincial Government led by Ms. Maria Fe Dominise, NICP VICTOR head Atty.  Jocelle Bata Sigue and NICP President Stephanie Caragos.

This was a very welcome endeavor both by the Provincial Government of Bohol led by Governor Edgar M. Chatto and the City Government of Tagbilaran led by Mayor John Geesnell Yap with Bohol’s overarching framework “HEAT IT Bohol” where IT is now part of the three (3) pillars together with Agriculture and Tourism. It was a time when the Boholanos got to hear and mingle with the big names and personalities in ICT which would be impossible to do in the Philippine capital.

Also co-sponsors were Transcom,  EC Council, Globe myBusiness, Sourceway, Alturas Group of Companies, Gwion, Malayan Insurance Tagbilaran Branch, Printbit, and Save n’ Earn.  The goodie bags showcasing Bohol products were from Peanut Kisses, BQ Calamay, Dalareich, Donna Rara’s Food Products and Jojie’s.

The 1^st Bohol Education Summit with focus on ICT was participated in by the Bohol Education stakeholders particularly the Colleges and Universities including Holy Name University, University of Bohol, BISU, Cristal-e College, BIT International College, Mater Dei College, Bohol Northwestern Colleges, Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary, Bohol College of Science and Technology, Bohol Wisdom School, and also by DepEd Bohol and Tagbilaran Divisions and TESDA.

Inputs were given by Industry experts Ana Maria “Penny” Bongato, IBPAP Talent Development,  Jonathan de Luzuriaga, Chair of the IT-BPM Roadmap 2022, and Usec Monchito Ibrahim of the Department of ICT.

The workshop, facilitated in by Ms. Vera Villocido, asked the participants to make their 2017 Education Action Plans based on: Faculty Development, Curriculum Development, Equipment and Facility Improvement and Center of Excellence/Center of Development Certification.

In 2016, Bohol does not have a single Center of Excellence, nor is it included in the Next Wave Cities or Emerging Destinations. The challenge is for Bohol to become a Next Wave City or Emerging Destination in ICT.

Among the faculty development plans included trainings in SMP or Service Management Program, Advanced English Pre-employment Training or ADEPT, DBPM (Oracle), CCNA, Business Analytics, Cybersecurity and Industry Immersion.  For curriculum development, industry linkage and partnership is the top priority.  “Open Lab” facility is mentioned in terms of equipment and facility improvement while for the Certification in Center of Excellence/Center of Development, the universities mentioned working on the requirements within the next three (3) years.

The 1^st Bohol Education Summit was capped with the Commitment Signing by all the stakeholders and the results presented to the plenary of the 5^th VICTOR Conference.  

It was also signed by Governor Edgar Chatto and DICT Undersecretary Monchito Ibrahim. The Commitment said: “Inasmuch as Bohol is becoming a new haven of IT-
BPM investments, we the Education Sector of Bohol, commit to the implementation of the 2017 Education Action Plan”.

(PR/Vera)

4th Education Summit held in Panglao

The Local Government Unit of Panglao convened the education stakeholders of the municipality in the biggest education summit in the history of Panglao on Friday, February 24, 2017 at the Panglao Cultural Center.  The Local School Board headed by Mayor Leonila Paredes Montero gathered together all the members of the municipal and barangay school boards, the school heads led by the District Supervisor Dr. Vitaliano Luga, all the teachers in the elementary and high schools, as well as the barangay captains, PTA presidents, and most especially the partners.  This year’s summit with the theme “Celebrating Accomplishments and Partnerships” honored the education partners including Synergeia Foundation, Jollibee Group Foundation,  The Asia Foundation Coalitions for Change in Education, Rotary Club of Panglao Island, the Panglao PNP and Bohol Tourist Police Unit,  as well as the industry partners such as Amorita Resort, Henann, Bellevue, South Palms, Bohol Beach Club, Tarsier Botanika, Mithi Resort and Spa.

The SB Chair of the Committee on Education Hon.  Noel Hormachuelos welcomed the participants and guests while Vice Mayor Pedro Fuertes gave the statement of purpose. The summit facilitator, Ms. Vera Villocido, explained the overview of the summit.

As in all the three (3) previous summits, Mayor Montero presented the “State of the Education” Report which showed remarkable increases in the Special Education Fund or SEF allocation, etc.

This year’s summit, however, also featured the presentations of each of the school heads of all thirteen (13) public schools of Panglao of their accomplishments and assessment as of schoolyear 2016 - 2017, their School Improvement Plan for 2017 – 2018, and their Continuous Improvement.

Ms. Vera Villocido facilitated the workshop which asked the barangays, in cooperation with their schools and PTA, their Barangay Improvement Plans in response to the School Improvement Plans presented by the school heads.

During the said summit, PO1 Tutor of the Panglao PNP also shared updates about Child Protection and Safety, as well as the laws protection women and children.

Messages were given by Mr. Isabelito “Tatay Billy” Tongco representing Governor Edgar M. Chatto, Mr. Archie Lungay representing Congressman Rene Lopez Relampagos, Mr. Iter representing DepEd Regional Director Juliet Jeruta, Dr. Wilfreda D. Bongalos, the DepEd Bohol Division Superintendent.

Adjudged as the Best Performing School for 2017 because of its overall accomplishments and partnerships was Doljo Elementary School headed by Mrs. Regina Sumaylo.

Each of the schools, not only put up their elaborate displays and exhibits of best practices as they do every summit, but also brought food to add color and a fiesta mood in celebration of their accomplishments and partnerships.

(PR/vav)

Bohol opens the Philippines’ first Senior High School Tourism Facility at Lourdes National High School in Panglao

The turnover of the only Senior High School Tourism Facility in the country was held on Friday, February 3, 2017 at Lourdes National High School in Panglao, Bohol. The first phase features a suite room, deluxe and standard room, kitchen and laundry room.  While the second phase unveiled also on the same day features a restaurant and a conference room.  The P6M facility is a collaborative effort of the Provincial Government of Bohol, the Municipality of Panglao, the Department of Education Bohol Division, the Bohol Association of Hotels Resorts and Restaurants, the Department of Science and Technology, with Technical Assistance from the Coalitions for Change in Education Program of the Australian Embassy-The Asia Foundation partnership in the Philippines.

Built through partnership, collaboration, synergy and coalition, the Provincial Government of Bohol built the facility, the LGU of Panglao provided the equipment, while the Department of Science and Technology also turned over an oven, mixer, banana chips maker, steel racks and many others. The resorts donated the furnishings of the rooms: the Suite Room by Bohol Beach Club, Deluxe by South Palms Resort, the standard room by Mithi Resort and Spa, and the lobby  by Amorita and Tarsier Botanika.

Governor Edgar M. Chatto led the turnover in the presence of DepEd Region 7 officials led by Dr. Juliet Jeruta and DepEd Bohol division led by Dr. Wilfreda Bongalos, the Department of Science and Technology led by DOST Regional Director Edilberto L. Paradela, BAHRR President Mr. Rommel Gonzales,  and The Asia Foundation Senior Program Officer and Theme Leader Mr. Henry Bernabe Grageda.

The Senior High School Tourism Facility is the training ground and laboratory for the senior high school students at LNHS where they apply skills in housekeeping, cookery, bread and pastry, food and beverage, front office, carpentry and EIM or Electrical Installation and Maintenance. This is prior to their actual work immersion in the hotels, resorts and restaurants in Grade 12.

The facility will also become an Assessment Center for TESDA as well as the venue for benchmarking of other Senior High Schools offering tourism-related tracks in the region and the whole country.

The Asia Foundation (TAF) in partnership with the Australian Embassy through the Coalitions for Change program in Basic Education has been in partnership with the Department of Education Bohol Division since 2014 on Senior High School program. In May 2015, a Tourism Senior High School (SHS) Summit, dubbed, “Turo-Turismo” was organized in Panglao, Bohol. That summit brought together different stakeholders from the province and other divisions to develop work-plans for industry contextualization for the SHS program with Tourism as the focus industry. In October 2015, CfC provided a grant to the Bohol Association of Hotels, Resorts and Restaurants (BAHRR) to implement the Turo-Turismoprogram, which included teachers’ immersion and development of contextualized instructional plans.

Incidentally, the DepEd Regional Office 7 conducted the first Tourism SHS Regional Benchmarking Activity on February  2- 3, 2017 in Bohol, specifically in four (4) resorts to be the site of the benchmarking activities:   Bellevue, Henann, Be Grand and South Palms. This was participated in by all thirteen (13) DepEd Divisions in Region 7 represented by the Superintendents, CID Chiefs, and the Regional Functional Division Chiefs.

In the message  of Undersecretary Dina Ocampo for the DepEd 7 benchmarking, “What small things we do today for the children, will matter in the people they will become tomorrow.  With initiatives benchmarked against effective practices, we can be confident that we will be proud of the people we will have tomorrow. “

(PR/vvg)