VP Sara, DepEd affirm poverty reduction efforts through accessible, quality education transition of the 14 schools

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

 

Spearheaded by Vice President of the Philippines and Secretary of Education Sara Z. Duterte, the Department of Education (DepEd) affirmed its commitment to poverty reduction efforts of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration during the Bagong Pilipinas Kick-off Rally on Sunday.

 

VP-Secretary Duterte led the DepEd delegation in the festive inter-agency gathering at the Quirino Grandstand, showcasing its support for the Bagong Pilipinas, a multi-layered campaign of the country’s bid to push progress.

 

During the Basic Education Report 2024, VP-Sec. Sara Duterte noted that education is a pillar of poverty reduction and emphasized that the Department’s programs and initiatives under the MATATAG Agenda are aligned with the Bagong Pilipinas of the PBBM administration.

 

“We must raise our children to carry this resilience within their hearts and minds for their future,” she said.

 

In improving the quality of education, DepEd is set to roll out the phased implementation of the MATATAG K-10 Curriculum next school year.

 

Further, DepEd has also partnered with various organizations to provide entrepreneurship and employment opportunities for learners and communities.

 

Finally, DepEd will be expanding the School-Based Feeding Program to cover the entire school year starting School Year 2024-2025.

Paint by Numbers: UP Mathematician Formulates Rules in Modeling Crystal Structures

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Different ways of coloring a pattern. (Photo credit: Junio, A. O. Colorings of patterns fixed by an arbitrary finite-index subgroup of the Symmetry Group. Acta Crystallographica Section A Foundations and Advances, 79(6): p.558.)


Imagine yourself standing on a concrete floor. Your goal is to completely cover the floor with red and blue square tiles, but in a way that follows three rules:


1) Every time you step on a tileless area, you must lay a tile. You can place either a red or blue tile on your starting position.

2) When you move one step horizontally or vertically, you must place a tile that is not the same color as the one you left. For example, if you started on a red tile and moved right, left, up, or down, lay a blue tile on your new location.

3) When you move one step diagonally, you must place a tile with a similar color to the tile you left. If you were standing on a red tile and moved diagonally, lay a red tile.


Once you have covered the floor with tiles, you will have created a colored checkerboard pattern. More interestingly, you will have also created a 2D model for the structure of salt crystals, which consists of alternating sodium and chlorine atoms: Red tiles can represent sodium atoms, while blue tiles can represent chlorine atoms.


Coloring a pattern such as the checkerboard is simple, but it becomes more complicated as patterns become more intricate. Dr. Allan Junio of the UP Diliman College of Science Institute of Mathematics (UPD-CS IM) created a technique that systematically colors patterns, helping model the structures of crystals.


Much like the three-step process in tiling the floor, Dr. Junio’s technique involves a set of general mathematical rules, called theorems and lemmas, in coloring different patterns. Moreover, his method enumerates all possible ways a pattern can be colored while limiting the number of colors used.


“The reason for this restriction is that we will be applying the coloring framework on the atoms of crystal structures, where the colors correspond to exactly one kind of atom, and we will be dealing with crystal structures with only finitely many kinds of atoms,” Dr. Junio explained in his paper.


The technique can help model a process called ordered substitution, where a group of atoms are replaced with a different element, thereby deriving a new material.


To demonstrate, he applied his technique to sphalerite crystal – a mineral that is difficult to identify due to its similarity with other crystals, hence its name coming from the Greek word sphaleros, meaning “treacherous.” Sphalerite is commonly made up of zinc and sulfur atoms linked together in a pattern.




Model for the structure of sphalerite. Zinc atoms are colored green, red, and blue, while sulfur atoms are colored black. (Photo credit: Junio, A. O. Colorings of patterns fixed by an arbitrary finite-index subgroup of the Symmetry Group. Acta Crystallographica Section A Foundations and Advances, 79(6): p.555.)


Instead of representing all zinc atoms with only one color, he colored different groups with green, red, and blue. In doing so, ordered substitution becomes simpler: by replacing the blue zinc atoms with copper atoms, the green zinc atoms with iron atoms, and the red zinc atoms with tin atoms, a new material called stannite is produced. Other crystals such as kuramite and chalcopyrite can also be produced using a similar process.


Although only sphalerite and its derivatives are modeled in the paper, the technique can be applied to other crystals as well.


“It may be a good idea to determine whether the resulting colorings correspond to known compounds, and if no such compounds exist, to establish whether the colorings may be realized as physical structures using chemical and molecular properties and restrictions,” Dr. Junio concluded in his paper, which is now published in Acta Crystallographica.

By Harvey Sapigao

Metrobank offers ‘One More Chance, The Musical’ Exclusive Pre-sale Tickets

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

If you are a Metrobank Credit Cardholder, you could be one of the first to purchase tickets to PETA’s buzzworthy show, “One More Chance, the Musical." 

Get ready to feel all the feels again! PETA’s “One More Chance, the Musical,” an adaptation of Star Cinema’s cult classic movie featuring the songs of the country’s most sought-after nine-piece band, Ben&Ben, is opening ticket sales next month.

Excitement is building up fast for “One More Chance, The Musical” as theater fans eagerly wait for the opening of ticket sales. Buyers are already flexing their muscles, getting ready to grab hold of tickets as soon as they drop!

Metrobank, co-presenter and official pre-sale partner of the musical brings an exclusive pre-sale treat for their credit cardholders as they get first access to the tickets from February 6–8, 2024, via TicketWorld.com.ph.

“One More Chance, The Musical” has already made waves, breaking headlines and trending on social media, since its epic announcement with Ben&Ben’s surprise appearance after the curtain call of "Walang Aray" in October.

PETA is already anticipating a huge influx of ticket sales based on the raves and overwhelmingly positive reactions of audiences.

“We are absolutely thrilled to finally open the ticket sales to the public. There’s been a huge outpour of support and clamor for tickets since our announcement last year. We are grateful and proud to be able to produce another Filipino theater production that showcases the best of theater, music, and film," shares PETA Executive Director Beng Cabangon. 

“We are also happy to welcome our partner, Metrobank, a company whose mission includes fostering Filipino artistry and creative excellence. Together, we hope we can help build and expand the growing theater audience and draw more appreciation for theater and the arts! "Cabangon enthused.

“Our collaboration with PETA for One More Chance, The Musical is one of the many ways we want to show our support to the local art and theater scene,” said Gail Male, SVP and Head of Credit Cards, Personal Loans and Digital Channels Group at Metrobank. “With this initiative, we’re encouraging our customers to take part in uplifting and celebrating vibrant and world-class Filipino talent."

To join the pre-sale, Metrobank credit cardholders must enter the first six digits of their card as the passcode. Each cardholder can enjoy a maximum of four (4) tickets per transaction.

Non-card holders can still apply and enjoy this exclusive promo by going to any Metrobank branch and applying for a credit card before the pre-sale. 

Ticket Prices

PETA’s intimate Blackbox, the PETA-Phinma Theater, offers up-close seating of 400 seats per show. Tickets prices are: P3000 for VIP, P2500 for Orchestra and Balcony Center, P2200 for Orchestra Side, and P1500 for Balcony Side seats.

About One More Chance

“One More Chance, the Musical,” which tells the story of longtime couple Popoy and Basha, is an adaptation of Star Cinema’s “One More Chance,” starring John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo.

PETA’s musical adaptation not only brings the iconic love story to life but also creates a more nuanced and expanded experience for audiences, thanks to Ben&Ben's poetic, emotionally charged, and LSS-inducing songs. The musical includes the band’s smash hits “Kathang Isip,” “Araw-Araw,” “Leaves,” and “Paninidigan Kita,” to name a few.

The show is slated to have a total of 50 shows at the PETA Theater Center in New Manila, Quezon City, from April 12–June 16, 2024.

For more information, follow PETA's social media accounts at @petatheater (Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok). For corporate partnerships, contact PETA’s Marketing and Public Relations Office at 0917-5765400 or petatheater@gmail.com.