Get Ready to #AGRInnovate as we Explore the Wonders of Agriculture

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Philippine Society of Youth Science Clubs (PSYSC), the largest umbrella organization of science clubs in the Philippines, proudly presents the National Science Club Month (NSCM 2016) with the theme, “AGRInnovate: Revolutionizing Agricultural Outlook for Sustainable Growth”.

This 2016, NSCM aims to introduce students to Agriculture. For a predominantly agricultural country, the Philippines has yet to realize the importance of this sector that brings food on our tables. PSYSC aims to rekindle the Filipino youth’s interest in agriculture and to raise awareness on its current situation in the country.

Through the four major events, NSCM 2016 hopes to bear its fruits of camaraderie and education among the Filipino youth.

This September 3-4, The National Science Clubs Summit (Summit) and PSYSC Extreme Activity Challenge (PEAC), will be held at different regional sites in the country, Junior high school students are coming together to discover and explore the wonders of agriculture in a series of lectures, workshops and team-building activities.

The I Teach Science Seminar (ITSS) will be held simultaneously with the Summit and PEAC to promote the importance of agriculture to junior high school teachers.

On September 3, The national eliminations of the PSYSC Science Olympiad (PSO), a quiz competition for both elementary and secondary students, will be conducted also at the Summit, PEAC and PSO – Independent Sites. The Top 20 schools from each bracket shall then compete for the PSO Finals which will be held in Metro Manila.

Likewise, MathSciAKa (pronounced as math-sa-ya-ka), an engineering science competition for elementary and high school students will be held on September 17 in Metro Manila.

The following Summit, PEAC and PSO – Independent sites are listed below:

Summit Sites:

Region 1/CAR – Tayug National High School (Pangasinan)
Region 2/3 – Isabela National High School (Isabela)
Region 4A/NCR – University of Batangas (Batangas)
Region 5 – University of Saint Anthony (Camarines Sur)
Region 6 – Dumangas National High School (Iloilo)
Region 9 – Claret School of Zamboanga City (Zamboanga del Sur)
Region 10 – Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology Integrated Developmental School (Lanao del Norte)
Region 11 – Mati National Comprehensive High School (Davao Oriental)
Region 13 – Jacinto P. Elpa National High School (Surigao del Sur)



PEAC Sites

Region 4B – Divine Word College of Calapan (Oriental Mindoro)
Region 7/8 – University of San Carlos – North Campus (Cebu)



PSO – Independent Sites

CAR – Philippine Science High School – CAR Campus (Benguet)
Region 4B – Palawan Hope Christian School (Palawan)
NCR – Miriam College Middle School (Quezon City)
Region 8 – LIDE Learning Center Inc. (Leyte)
Region 12 – St. Alexius College Integrated School (South Cotabato)


Affiliate with PSYSC today as they offer a totally new science clubbing experience!

For more information, feel free to contact the Philippine Society of Youth Science Clubs at (02) 332-8151 or send a message through mail@psysc.org or psysc.nscm2016@gmail.com. You may also visit them at www.psysc.org or like their page at www.facebook.com/psysc.nscm.

Senate Conducts Historic First Hearing on SOGIE-Specific Anti-Discrimination Bill

Wazzup Pilipinas!
Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday conducts the first-ever hearing on a proposed landmark measure that seeks to protect the rights of persons with different sexual orientation and gender identity or expression (SOGIE).

Hontiveros, Chair of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, filed Senate Bill No. 935 otherwise known as the Anti-Discrimination Bill (ADB) which seeks to expand the constitutional provision guaranteeing the fundamental equality before the law of women and men to include lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders, queers and intersex.

The hearing is considered “historic” as this is the first anti-discrimination measure focusing on SOGIE that will be heard in the Senate. It was reported that former Akbayan Congresswoman Etta Rosales filed the bill at the House of Representatives seventeen years ago.

"Today is a historic day for the struggle for equality of our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, intersex and queer. Today, the Philippine Senate will hear for the first time a bill that explicitly protects LGBT rights and imposes penalties on discriminatory practices against LGBTs," Hontiveros said in her opening statement.

Hontiveros explained that her bill seeks to penalize discriminatory practices such as harassment by members of institutions involved in the enforcement of law and declare unlawful the act.of denying a person access to public or private medical and other health services open to the general public on the basis of such person's sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.

Following the UN Human Rights Committee Decision in Toonen v Australia, Hontiveros said her bill will put under the scope of the Equal Protection Clause the rights of persons with different sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.

Hontiveros said that there are numerous cases of discrimination against LGBTs such as transwomen who were being denied the right to express their gender identity in schools and in the workplace; gay men who could not donate blood because of a government memorandum prohibiting homosexuals from doing so, and law enforcers threatening LGBTs of prosecution for Grave Scandal under Article 200 of the Revised Penal Code as a scheme to harass and to extort from them, among others.

“Ang laban na ito ay para sa lahat ng batang bakla, lesbyana, transgender na nalilito, nagtatanong at pinagkaitan ng patas na pagkakataon. Ang laban na ito ay para sa lahat ng naghahanap ng pagmamahal, pag-uunawa, pagtanggap, anuman ang kasarian. Ang laban na ito ay para sa pagkakapantay-pantay," Hontiveros said. #




Opening Remarks of Senator Risa Hontiveros during the Committee Hearing on the Anti-Discrimination Bill

Today is a historical day for the struggle for equality of our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, intersex and queer. Today, the Philippine Senate will hear for the first time a bill that explicitly protects LGBT rights and imposes penalties on discriminatory practices against LGBTs. It was seventeen years ago when the Anti-Discrimination Bill was first filed in Congress by former Akbayan congresswoman and human rights champion Etta Rosales. Ngayon lang nadinig sa mataas na kamara.

The passage of anti-discrimination for SOGIE (or sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression) is long overdue. Cases of discrimination and inequality have remained invisible to our national policies and reduced to insignificance by homophobia and stigma. The reports document experiences of transwomen who were being denied the right to express their gender identity in schools and in the workplace; of gay men who could not donate blood because of a government memorandum prohibiting homosexuals from doing so; of gay couples who could be beside each other in the hospital. There were transwomen who were forced by authorities to appear masculine before their passports could be renewed. There were also law enforcers threatening LGBTIQs of prosecution for Grave Scandal under Article 200 of the Revised Penal Code as a scheme to harass and to extort from them. There were cases of gender non-conforming students who were being bullied in schools affecting their performance and ultimately their access to education. There were people living with HIV AIDS who were made more vulnerable by the prevailing stigma against men who have sex with men and transgenders, putting in peril their fundamental right to quality and effective healthcare.

Ang laban na ito ay para sa kanila. Ang laban na ito ay para kay Jimmy Vosotros; para kay Barbie Anne Reiley, para kay Jennifer Laude. Ang laban na ito ay para sa lahat ng batang bakla, lesbyana, transgender na nalilito, nagtatanong, binubully sa playground. Ang laban na ito ay para sa lahat ng naghahanap ng pagmamahal, pag-uunawa, pagtanggap, anuman ang kasarian. Ang laban na ito ay para sa pagkakapantay-pantay.

I firmly believe that the 17th Congress will be the Congress that will pass the Anti-Discrimination Law. The Centennial Senate will be the Senate that will finally say no to hate. Sa ating diskurso ngayong hapon, hinihingi ko ang inyong “bukas-isip” at “bukas-puso”.

It is my honor to shepherd this bill to its eventual passage, as a friend and ally of our beautiful and vibrant LGBTIQ community.

The Alyan Robin Hood Fan Art That Borrowed From Arrow

Wazzup Pilipinas!

With regards to Alyas Robin Hood being a copycat or not, maybe in the future we could all try to steer away from the familiar or overused concepts, or in this case, characters... so our projects will not be perceived as recycled or copied.

This thinking is evident to how the fan art was created. The artist may have quickly connected or associated it to Arrow thus that is where he patterned his artwork, which also gave the readers the false impression that Alyas Robin Hood is merely a copied version of Arrow.

Even the video teasers were perceived to have similarities to how Arrow is presented on the Hollywood TV series thus being seen as clearly influenced by the same.

Claiming the Pinoy TV show is in reference to the original Robin Hood may not be totally believable since Robin Hood does not usually roam the land during night time (as depicted in most movies where he and his merry men robs from the rich during daytime). Please correct me if I'm wrong.

In any case, let us say I'm trying to research on a possible idea for a fan art for Alyas Robin Hood, would a Google search for Robin Hood bring out Arrow as a result? It would not. At least on the first page results. Closes to Hollywood works would be the movies starred by Kevin Costner, Russel Crowe, etc. 

Top of mind, especially for millennials, would be what is currently, or was lately, shown. Thus, we can easily deduct that the artist really patterned his work after an Arrow poster since that's probably what was first on his mind when he saw the video teasers, and Googled for the Arrow TV series instead.

GMA 7 should realize that the popularity of "Arrow" would obviously connect to Alyas Robin Hood since it's the most recent image of the original, may it be Robin Hood or any other hooded hero with a bow and arrow. It is not surprising that people will think first of Arrow, and accuse Alyas Robin Hood as a copycat even if the story is totally different.

LionhearTV should not have used GMA 7's logo in their own poster because it somehow implies that they are in partnership with the TV station in the creation of the poster, or even the TV series itself. They maybe doing this kind of thing for years, but that could also mean fans have probably thought that their fan arts were actual part of the promotional campaign materials of the TV series or movies.

The lay out of the logos ( LionhearTV at the left and GMA7 at the right) is somehow deceiving to those not familiar of their usual works. Similar layouts would mean that both share ownership of the event, project, campaign, etc. just as in media partnerships where all the logos of sponsors and partners are shown on the posters, banners, streamers, etc. 

Maybe they should either mention it is a fan-art or put their logo somewhere else to clearly indicate it is their own fan art. Many of their readers probably believed the previous fan arts were part of the campaign or promotional efforts of the TV or movie production. Nowadays, not too many could differentiate the real from the fictional or satire.