Edward Kelly Elated to Compete Alongside Older Brother Eric at ONE: GLOBAL SUPERHEROES

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Eric and Edward Kelly lived under the same roof for years in their hometown of Baguio City when they were young and shared the same burning passion in martial arts.

Growing up in the small town community of San Tomas Central, located within the city limits of Baguio, Eric and Edward did not always get along with one another as the two fought all the time, sometimes even resulting in injury.

“We were not that close before. We always fought. In short, Eric and I were headaches to our parents,” Edward recalled in jest. “But of course, things change when you grow up and mature. We now appreciate each other’s company.”

Fortunately, when the brothers entered high school, Eric discovered martial arts, and everything would change for both of them.

Edward paid attention to the growing accolades of his older brother and was heavily motivated by it.

“I noticed after he started martial arts that it taught him the discipline not to fight me as a brother. Instead, he started giving me advice through what he had learned,” he bared. “I also joined martial arts because it teaches you discipline, and a lot of other positives, too.”

Years later, both men have made remarkable runs as outstanding martial artists in their respective professional careers.

Eric is now widely regarded as one of the best homegrown martial arts athletes to come out of the Philippines.

A Wushu practitioner who combines solid striking techniques with high-level grappling skills, Eric owns nine scintillating submissions and one knockout out of 12 total career victories.

Eric’s most impressive showing to date came in a submission win over Rob Lisita in July 2014, a performance that earned him the US$50,000 ONE Warrior Bonus.

Meanwhile, Edward is considered as one of the best and brightest featherweight prospects to emerge from the well-established martial arts scene in the Philippines.

With a complete striking and grappling skill set, Edward brings Team Lakay’s world-renowned Wushu to center stage as he showcases his impeccable skillset inside the ONE Championship cage.

In addition, the younger Kelly has won three of his last four bouts under the ONE Championship banner, all by spectacular finish.

The Kelly brothers get a rare chance on 26 January as the siblings will compete side-by-side when ONE Championship holds its first of the four scheduled events in the country for 2018.

Asia’s premier martial arts promotion spearheads ONE: GLOBAL SUPERHEROES at the 20,000-capacity SM Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.

Eric squares off with Brazilian standout Rafael Nunes on the undercard of ONE: GLOBAL SUPERHEROES, while Edward crosses paths with Cambodia’s Meas Meul in a three-round featherweight clash.

It is the first time both of them will be featured at a ONE Championship event together, and Edward plans to make it a night they will never forget.

“I am so excited because finally, it’s going to happen. It marks the first time that I will compete alongside my older brother. Surely, it’s going to be a memorable night for the both of us,” he said.

“We have the same aim of winning. So making it two for two on this card will make this extra special,” Edward added.

As Eric seeks to get back on the winning track at the expense of Nunes, Edward is likewise looking to move forward in his career after getting his three-bout winning streak snapped by American stalwart Emilio Urrutia in August 2017.

In his next cage outing, Edward goes up against Meul, a undefeated promotional newcomer with six wins to his credit, at ONE: GLOBAL SUPERHEROES.

“My coaches has prepared me well for this. I am not going to disappoint my team and my country when I enter that cage on 26th of January,” Edward assured. “I don’t want to let my countrymen down this time. I am here to give them a great bout. And of course, win the bout in impressive fashion for them.”

Edward has no qualms if he has to go full three rounds with Meul, but he admitted that his sights are always set on securing the finish.

“I am looking to dominate him for three rounds. But hopefully, I can get the finish. A finish will be the perfect way to tell the world that I am back,” he ended.

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DepEd Adopts Philippine Professional Standard for Teachers to Further Improve Educators’ Qualification Skills

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Recognizing the importance of professionalizing standards for teachers and for their continuous development, the Department of Education (DepEd), through the Teacher Education Council (TEC), adopted the Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers (PPST).

In DepEd Order No. 42, series 2017 or the National Adoption and Implementation of the Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers, Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones stated that the new set of standards for teachers is propelled by the introduction of national and international frameworks, such as the K to 12 program and ASEAN integration.

The PPST outlines the required skills and competencies of quality teachers, enabling them to cope with the emerging global frameworks.

The PPST basically aims to: 1) set the clear expectations of teachers along well-defined career stages of professional development from beginning to distinguished practice; 2) engage teachers to actively embrace a continuing effort in attaining proficiency; and 3) apply a uniform measure to assess teacher performance, identify needs, and provide support for professional development.

Briones pointed out that the PPST will be the basis for all learning and development programs for teachers to ensure that they are properly equipped to effectively implement the K to 12. Teacher quality for the 21st century The PPST targets to produce better teachers in the country by improving their qualifications skills and by increasing their levels of knowledge, practice and professional engagement.

The six modules of the PPST are the following: 1) The Department of Education; 2) The Filipino Teacher; 3) The K to 12 curriculum; 4) The Teaching Process; 5) the Learning Process; and 6) The School and Community Linkages.

These are all anchored on the seven domains that quality teachers should exhibit including: 1) Content Knowledge and Pedagogy; 2) Learning Environment; 3) Diversity of learners; 4) Curriculum and Planning; 5) Assessment and Reporting; 6) Community Linkages and Professional Engagement; and 7) Personal Growth and Professional Development.

Career stages Anchored on the principle of lifelong learning, the set of professional standards for teachers articulates their developmental progression.

Career Stage 1 or Beginning Teachers have gained the qualifications for entry into teaching position; Career Stage 2 or Proficient Teachers are professionally independent in the application of skills vital to the teaching and learning process; Career Stage 3 or Highly Proficient Teachers consistently display a high level of performance in their teaching practice; and Career Stage 4 or Distinguished Teachers exhibit the highest standard of teaching practice in accordance to global best practice.

The regional offices are set to orient their respective schools divisions on the PPST, including the monitoring and evaluation of its implementation. The school divisions will cascade it to schools districts and schools.


2017 PPST activities

DepEd, through the Teacher Education Council (TEC) headed by Director Runvi Manguerra, has initiated the PPST workshops on Module Development, Enhancement and Validation attended by curriculum specialists, school heads, and other stakeholders. A workshop on the Development of Implementing Guidelines for PPST was also conducted in coordination with the Research Center for Teacher Quality (RCTQ), and attended by DepEd Regional Directors and officers of Basic Education Sector Transformation (BEST) program.

TEC also spearheaded the PPST National Roll-Out, as well as the Teacher Induction Program (TIP) National Orientation of Trainers in three clusters – Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, which was participated by DepEd Directors, Schools Division Superintendents, chiefs, district supervisors, principals, education program specialists, master teachers, and RCTQ officials. This was followed by TIP module review workshops and module pre-finalization workshops.

The concept of the PPST was first introduced during the First National Assembly of Education Leaders held at PICC, Pasay City, and attended by 3,800 education managers nationwide. It was formally launched during the World Teachers’ Day (WTD) celebration held in Legazpi City that was attended by 6,000 teachers across the country.

Bello Announces Opening of Overseas Filipino Bank on Jan. 18, the Creation of 2 Million New Jobs in 2018

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Department of Labor & Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III announced that President Rodrigo “ Rody” R. Duterte will launch the first ever Overseas Filipino Bank tomorrow January 18 Thursday at 3 p.m. at the Philippine Post Office Building at Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila City, he announced this on January 17 at the Pandesal Forum of 79-year-old Kamuning Bakery Cafe in Quezon City.

Secretary Bello said: “This has been the promise of politicians for the past 40 years, but this will be fulfilled tomorrow. The Overseas Filipino Bank will service the financial and other needs of overseas Filipinos, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and of all the country’s workers. This is good news for all overseas Filipinos and for the Philippine economy.” Bello added that overseas Filipino workers could avail of loans from P50, 000 to P350, 000, collateral-free, and with lower interest rates than other regular banks.

Secretary Bello also expressed high hopes that the government’s now stalled peace talks with Communist rebels shall resume soon, he told media that President Duterte is sincere in his wish for achieving “inclusive and lasting peace for the Philippines” and hopes that the Communist rebels will cooperate. Communist Party founder Jose Ma. Sison is former colleague of Secretary Bello and President Duterte, because Bello said he was chairman of the leftist Bayan group in Mindanao during the martial law years which he pointed out was more militant than other Bayan chapters in Metro Manila and other regions.

Bello also announced that government estimates creation of new jobs this year 2018 at 2 million new jobs due to President Duterte’s “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program and the TRAIN tax reform law, plus 2 million new jobs yearly for a total of 10 million jobs in 5 years.

For the year 2017, DOLE had inspected 60,732 establishments covering 6.994 million workers and 85,725 workers have been regularized as of January 10, 2018.

Secretary Bello said: “For year 2018, DOLE shall inspect 54,530 establishments to ensure compliance with labor laws and standards, particularly the right to security of tenure. Rest assured that the government-especially President Duterte-is committed to improve the welfare of all workers in the Philippines.”