Save the Children Philippines, DepEd promote Positive Discipline for children’s effective learning at home

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Save the Children Philippines partners with the Department of Education (DepEd) in holding a month-long webinar on positive discipline to help parents and guardians support children’s learning at home during the pandemic.

The collaboration supports DepEd’s Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan to ensure that children’s rights to education is fulfilled, while protecting their health and safety during the pandemic.

“Parents and guardians play a critical role in the continued education of their children despite the challenges of this pandemic,” said Atty. Alberto Muyot, Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children Philippines.

The webinar will run on September 9, 16, 23 and 30, and October 7 and can be viewed for free through the Facebook pages of Save the Children Philippines and DepEd Philippines, as well as on DepEd TV.

Wilma Banaga, Child Protection Advisor and Jerly Villanada, Child Protection Manager of Save the Children Philippines will guide parents and guardians in supervising their children’s learning under the online and modular set-up through a series of courses promoting positive discipline.

“Positive discipline is an approach that helps build stronger relationships between parents/guardians and children,” said Banaga.

The second course on Identifying long-term goals will focus on the characteristics, values, and the kind of relationship that parents would want their children to have when they reach adulthood.

“The session provides parents and guardians with tips in managing stress since it is one of the factors that affect parents’ disciplining practices,” said Banaga.

The third webinar on September 23 will introduce two powerful positive discipline tools-Warmth and Structure.

“Warmth is creating a loving and safe environment where children feel and learn trust, security, and respectful communication,” Villanada said. “Structure is scaffolding children’s learning by providing them with information and guidance they need to perform what is expected of them, to learn from their mistakes, and solve problems.”

The webinar will also guide parents, guardians to understand how children think and feel to help them empathize with their children by understanding the stages of their development.

The last session on Responding to Challenges using Positive Discipline seeks to help parents, guardians to manage their stress, and understand why children are behaving the way they do.

Save the Children Philippines is campaigning for Positive Discipline as a national policy to protect children from physical and humiliating punishments.

According to the National Baseline Study on Violence Against Children in 2016, three out of five children experienced physical violence during childhood and most of them happened in the home. The study also showed that 14.3 percent of those who attended school experienced physical violence in school.

"Take Action" from home with NASA

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On October 2-4, The United States space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) invites coders, entrepreneurs, scientists, designers, storytellers, makers, builders, artists, and technologists to come together in a global, virtual hackathon. During a period of 48 hours, participants from around the world will come together to create virtual teams and solve challenges using NASA’s open-source data.

Designed for those interested in space science and exploration, this hackathon allows the next generation of scientists, technologists, designers and engineers to showcase their creativity and problem-solving skills through inspired collaboration and critical thinking.

As part of Space Apps, everyone belongs to a global hackathon community which embraces collaboration across borders, sectors, and cultures to bring about paradigm-shifting innovation.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and in the interest of the global community’s health and safety, this year’s hackathon will be an all-virtual event. In other words, all events shall be moved online. In this unprecedented time, the Space Apps community exists as a reminder that everyone has the tools and talents to tackle the challenges facing the planet, as well as the ability to unite across boundaries and borders of all kinds.

The theme for this year -- "Take Action" -- is a critical reminder that anyone can make a difference, even from the comfort and safety of home.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7RBlB9iYyQ

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) of France, and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) will be partnering again with NASA for this hackathon.

Since Space Apps is brought to the Philippines by developer and technology community leader Tzar C. Umang from Pangasinan last 2016, the country witnessed on how the community grew from a group of volunteers to forging partnerships with collaborators and stakeholders. The Philippines produced global winners like the dengue hotspot predictor Project AEDES and information portal G.I.D.E.O.N. measuring COVID-19 impact, both developed by CirroLytix. The country also has global finalists like Celestial Snails from De La Salle University addressing social isolation and Sentinellium, an epidemic predictor using population density data, both addressing problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic. 

Space Apps throughout the years in the Philippines.

While recognition and honor was given to the Philippines by NASA and partner agencies, lead organizer Michael Lance M. Domagas hopes that the country would soon realize the importance and value of giving support and assistance in the development of these winning projects, so that fellow Filipinos would benefit from these technologies coming from outer space in times of emergencies like COVID-19 and dengue epidemic. "Space Apps is a perfect venue which can arouse curiosity and interest of Filipinos to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), including space and Earth sciences. Our own country's support should have been a way to inspire more Filipinos and further develop winning projects," he said. Space Apps can be a program in developing "space education and promote public awareness" stated in Section 8 of Republic Act 11363 otherwise known as the "Philippine Space Act."

"The Global Organizing Team is inspired by the journey the Philippines has with the Space Apps program. In particular, we appreciate the development of STEM in the Philippines and elsewhere, because one goal of Space Apps is to foster interest and learning in these fields worldwide," according to Matt Scott, the Global Community Director and Storyteller.

Register now on these sites:

• Central Luzon: https://2020.spaceappschallenge.org/locations/pampanga
• Northern Luzon: https://2020.spaceappschallenge.org/locations/mapandan-pangasinan
• Manila and the rest of the Philippines: https://2020.spaceappschallenge.org/locations/manila

Space Apps is a NASA-led initiative organized in collaboration with Booz Allen Hamilton, Mindgrub, SecondMuse, and the NASA Open Innovation Applied Sciences Program.

DOTr Maritime sector continues to activate crew change hubs in the country; operationalized hub in Subic Freeport Zone

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In its bid to help address the global need for fresh crew of ships amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Transportation (DOTr), through its Maritime Sector, continues with the activation of crew change hubs in the country, this time, in Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

Five (5) seafarers disembarked today, 10 September 2020, after months of being onboard the MV Dapeng Star from Dapeng, China. The seafarers underwent strict health and safety protocols, in coordination with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ), to ensure that they are free from any COVID-19 infection.

Upon arrival at the port, the seafarers proceeded to the One-Stop Shop (OSS) located at the Subic Bay International Airport, where they were required to undergo triage or sorting procedures and swab testing. Upon completion, the seafarers boarded a P2P vehicle bound to their designated quarantine facility in Manila for mandatory quarantine.

The newly-operationalized crew change hub in Subic follows the first crew change operations conducted outside Metro Manila, in Port Capinpin in Bataan on 05 September 2020.

Witnessing the crew change operations today were DOTr OIC-Assistant Secretary for Maritime Narciso Vingson Jr., Philippine Coast Guard Commodore Charlie Rances, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chair and Administrator Wilma Eisma, and Subic Quarantine Station Chief Joseph Macaraeg.

According to Asec. Vingson, the DOTr Maritime Sector is commited to work for the activation of crew change hubs in the country to give maritime vessels the avenue to refresh their manpower and provide relief to seafarers, especially those that have served or completed their contracts.

"Ngayong panahon ng pandemya, karamihan sa mga bansa ay nagsasarado ng border nila. Kaya naman itong crew change hubs ay napakahalaga para mapangalagaan ang health and safety ng ating mga seafarers. Sa ngayon, more than 300,000 o 30% ng mga seafarers sa buong mundo ay Filipino,” Asec. Vingson said.

“Ito din po ay alinsunod sa kautusan ni Secretary Arthur Tugade bilang commitment natin sa nakaraang International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council Meeting na gawin ang Pilipinas bilang Crew Change Capital of the World," Asec. Vingson emphasized.

Meanwhile, Office for Transportation Security (OTS) Administrator and OSS Head Undersecretary Raul de Rosario said that the continuous operationalization of crew change hubs is a welcome development that will further attract shipping lines to the country.

“Nakakatuwa na napa-patronize na ang ating mga itinatag na One-Stop Shop sa pangunguna ng DOTr. Mas lalong mapapabilis ang crew change at maraming mga shipping lines ang mae-enganyo dito sa Pilipinas mag crew change dahil may iba’t-iba silang pagpipiliian na ports,” Usec. Del Rosario said.

In her message, SBMA Chair Eisma also underscored the significance of opening crew change hubs in the country, including that in Subic Freeport Zone, as this will allow Filipino seafarers to go back home.

"It is very important to open this for Filipino seafarers all over the world. Nobody should be left behind. This is one of the many reasons kung bakit kailangan silang tanggapin pabalik," Chair Eisma said.

Crew change is essential to ensure seafarers’ safety, health, welfare and employment as they can only serve on board a vessel without leave up to a maximum of 11 months based on International Labour Organization (ILO) 2006 Maritime Labour Convention (MLC).

To recall, the Subic Bay Free Port Zone was opened and activated as a crew change hub on 22 August 2020.

Other crew change hubs activated were the Port of Manila and Port Capinpin in Orion, Bataan.