THE MAKATI SCIENCE VISION PUBLISHES ITS FIRST ARTICLE IN PEARL WORLD YOUTH NEWS

The Makati Science Vision, the official student publication of the Makati Science High School, through its news editor, Mark Robert Benson Baldo, published its first article in the Pearl (Prepare and Educate Aspiring Reporters for Leadership) World Youth News, an online international news service managed by secondary school students from around the world.

Baldo is one of the 29 out of 34 Makati Science High School fourth year students who passed the Pearl World Youth News Reporter Certification Course in International Journalism from December 17, 2007, to January 5, 2008 and who received recommendations from Ben Frumin of the Columbia University-Graduate School of Journalism (CU-GSJ) and certifications from Anindita Dutta Roy, International Education and Resource Network (iEARN)-United States of America (USA) Membership and Youth Media Programs director, both of New York, New York, USA.

A partnership of the iEARN and the Daniel Pearl Foundation, the Pearl World Youth News promotes ethics, integrity, and cross-cultural understanding in the spirit of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was murdered by terrorists in Pakistan in 2002.

Philippine High School Launches International Sanitation Program
By Mark Robert Benson Baldo



MAKATI, PHILIPPINES – Students from a high school in the Philippines have helped launch a sanitation program meant to help them stay healthy and in school.

A pilot school for new sanitation initiatives, the Makati Science High School received sanitation kits for all of its students and a refilling center. The program was funded by a group of organizations led by CityNet, a network of Asia-Pacific municipalities that manages human settlement. The group also included the Philippines division of Unilever, the soap manufacturer.

"It is very important to address complicated environmental problems,” said the CityNet president, Hiroshi Nakada, during the launching of the City of Makati Sanitation Program for Schools. Nakada, the mayor of Yokohama in Japan, and Jejomar Cabauatan Binay, the mayor of Makati, cut a ceremonial ribbon on the Makati Science High School Sanitation Station Refilling Center on Nov 14, 2007. Fifty members of CityNet attended the ceremony, as did students and faculty.

According to Mayor Nakada, Mayor Binay was very aggressive in proposing that the international program be piloted in Makati. And he chose Makati Science for the program.

"It is really an honor that Makati Science was chosen to pilot this very important program," said Armand Joseph Aquino, a Makati Science student. "I agree that sanitation is an underlying problem in education. So, this project is really important to us, as students."

Makati Science students and teachers attended a series of hygiene and sanitation workshops in October. This included seminars on the importance of proper hand-washing techniques. Equipped with refilling hand sanitizer kiosks, the center promotes sustainable sanitation and solid waste management programs. Students refill their sanitation kits by exchanging recyclable materials, such as newspapers and polyethylene bottles.

Mildred Castillo, an official with the Makati Department of Environmental Services, said that improper hygiene and sanitation increases absenteeism and decreases cognitive development among students. She said the program begun in Makati will be duplicated worldwide.

Visit http://www.pearl.iearn.org/pearlnews/content/view/112/36/ to see Mark Robert Benson Baldo's article in the Pearl World Youth News

29 MAKATI SCIENCE STUDES HURDLE PEARL REPORTER CERTIFICATION COURSE

Twenty-nine out of 34 Makati Science High School fourth year students passed the Pearl (Prepare and Educate Aspiring Reporters for Leadership) World Youth News Reporter Certification Course in International Journalism from December 17, 2007, to January 5, 2008.

Mark Robert Benson Baldo, John Edward Dominique Dela Paz Dalida, Katrisha Angelica Decipeda Encarnacion, Rojane Meca Melendres, John Vincent Maik Solis, and Sandi Valdez Vinluan, The Makati Science Vision editorial staffers, received recommendations from Ben Frumin of the Columbia University-Graduate School of Journalism (CU-GSJ) and certifications from Anindita Dutta Roy, International Education and Resource Network (iEARN)-United States of America (USA) Membership and Youth Media Programs director, both of New York, New York, USA.

Frumin and Roy also recommended and certified Paula Bianca Etaoc Amil, Ma Arselene Jamalin Aquino, Jan Erika Sinchioco Basilio, Venus Riparip Casabon, Serfederic Azarcon Cellona, Abegail Valderama Dapito, Rhom Justin Garcia Dela Rosa, Jessica Monajan Elorde, Joven Borja Falcon, Marniel Leslee Aquino Galedo, Jasmin Martinez Garcia, Lira Perin Habana, Maricar Dizon Llamzon, Rafael Alfred Costuna Montalvo III, Inez Margarita Diestro Montenegro, Carlo Jayson Nograles Opeña, Michael Dominique Zabala Padlan, Katrina Flor Alburo Pantilla, Ma Rhenee Maye Sayson Renido, Angeline Dadiro Ronas, Sarah Jane Villaluz Soriano, Thea Cecilia Fabian Suico, and Ian Christopher Omambac Tisang of IV-Sir Isaac Newton.

"This year, Pearl World Youth News has welcomed many new reporters. Congratulations to all the students who worked individually to complete the certification course. Our thanks also go out to teachers at the Makati Science High School in the Philippines, [...] who supported their students to work on the project as part of their school activities!" posted at the Pearl World Youth News official website.

Five other IV-Newton students are still waiting for the results of their certification as international reporters from the CU-GSJ and the iEARN-USA to enable them to begin reporting for the Pearl World Youth News, an online international news service managed by secondary school students from around the world.

All IV-Newton students and some of The Makati Science Vision editorial staffers underwent the said certification course after Mr Alixander Haban Escote had received a Pearl: Integrating Journalism into the Classroom Online Professional Development Course Scholarship from the iEARN-USA from October 15 to December 15, 2007.

Having been certified as an iEARN Master Teacher, Mr Escote completed the requirements with an A grade and implemented the Pearl Reporter Certification Course in International Journalism at the Makati Science.

Mr Escote obtained the online professional development course scholarship after Mrs Ma Luisa Hernandez-Larcena, iEARN-Philippines country coordinator and Makati Science High School English Department coordinator, recommended him to Ms Losira Okela, iEARN-USA Online Professional Development director.

A partnership of the iEARN and the Daniel Pearl Foundation, the Pearl World Youth News promotes ethics, integrity, and cross-cultural understanding in the spirit of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was murdered by terrorists in Pakistan in 2002.

"It gives us great pleasure to know that so many of your students have already been certified in the Pearl World Youth News Reporter Course and that The MakatiScience Vision has scored such impressive recognition in the Philippines," wrote Dr Judea Pearl, father of Daniel Pearl and president of the Daniel Pearl Foundation, in his e-mail to Mr Escote.

"We, at the Daniel Pearl Foundation, consider each one of your students to be a future ambassador of the spirit of journalistic excellence that Danny, our son, has come to symbolize. We wish you all the success in your efforts to sustain and to promote this spirit," Dr Pearl added.

A non-profit organization consisting of over 20 000 schools and youth organizations in more than 115 countries, the iEARN empowers teachers and young people to work together online using the Internet and other new information and communication technologies.

The Daniel Pearl Foundation promotes the ideals that inspired his life, works, and writings and promotes cross-cultural understanding through music, journalism, and innovative communications.

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Visit http://www.iearn.org/ and http://www.iearn.org/about/index.html to read about the International Education and Resource Network.

Visit http://www.pearl.iearn.org/pearlnews/content/blogcategory/39/51/ to read about the Pearl World Youth News, a student news service inspired by journalist Daniel Pearl.

Visit http://www.pearl.iearn.org/pearlnews/content/blogcategory/52/67/ to see the complete list of Pearl Team from the Philippines and from the Makati Science High School.

CONGRATULATIONS 4

The Makati Science Vision, the official student publication of the Makati Science High School, congratulates Ma Arselene Jamolin Aquino, Rhom Justin Garcia Dela Rosa, Katrisha Angelica Decipeda Encarnacion, and Jasmin Martinez Garcia of IV-Isaac Newton for passing the Pearl World Youth News Reporter Certification Course in International Journalism.

Aquino, Dela Rosa, Encarnacion, and Martinez received recommendations from Ben Frumin of the Columbia University-Graduate School of Journalism (CU-GSJ) and Anindita Dutta Roy, International Education and Resource Network-United States of America (iEARN-USA) Membership and Youth Media Programs director, both of New York, New York, USA.

Fifteen other IV-Newton students are still waiting for the results of their certification as international reporters from the CU-GSJ and the iEARN-USA to enable them to begin reporting for the Pearl World Youth News, an online international news service managed by secondary school students from around the world.

A partnership of the iEARN and the Daniel Pearl Foundation, the Pearl World Youth News promotes ethics, integrity, and cross-cultural understanding in the spirit of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was murdered by terrorists in Pakistan in 2002.

Visit http://www.pearl.iearn.org/pearlnews/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/ to read the Pearl World Youth News.

PEARL WORLD YOUTH NEWS REPORTER CERTIFICATION COURSE IN INTERNATIONAL JOURNALISM REMINDER

Yesterday, I checked all IV-Sir Isaac Newton accounts, and I found out that Rafael Alfred Costuna Montalvo, Mark Elfren Araño Zuño, Venus Riparip Casabon, and Sandi Vinluan Valdez did not make any entry of the three assignments for the Pearl World Youth News Reporter Certification Course in International Journalism. Reynerson Kumipang Concepcion made Assignment No. 2 but did not make Assignments 1 and 2.

I am reminding the above mentioned students to accomplish the required assignments. These are not only class requirements but also requirements for clearance. I am posting them here.


ASSIGNMENT NO. 1

Please read the following article. Answer the following in not more than 50 words.

Do you think the story is balanced? If you think it is, point out the two most important sides without which the news story would not have been balanced.

You can submit your answer by clicking on "start or edit my journal entry" at the bottom of the page.


RICH CAN PAY POOR TO CUT CARBON
By Roger Harrabin, BBC News environment analyst

Rich nations should be absolved from the need to cut emissions if they pay developing countries to do it on their behalf, a senior UN official has said.

The controversial suggestion from Yvo de Boer, head of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), has angered environmental groups.

They say climate change will not be solved unless rich and poor nations both cut emissions together.

But Mr de Boer said the challenge was so great that action was needed now.


Carbon credits

The UN's binding global climate agreement, the Kyoto Protocol, currently requires industrialised nations to reduce the majority of emissions themselves.

But Mr de Boer said this was illogical, adding that the scale of the problem facing the world meant that countries should be allowed to invest in emission cuts wherever in the world it was cheapest.

"We have been reducing emissions and making energy use more efficient in industrialised countries for a long time," he told BBC News.

"So it is quite expensive in these nations to reduce emissions any more.

"But in developing nations, less has been done to reduce emissions and less has been done to address energy efficiency," Mr de Boer observed.

"So it actually becomes economically quite attractive for a company, for example in the UK, that has a target to achieve this goal by reducing emissions in China."

Mr de Boer's views were personal ones, he said, and not those of the UNFCCC. He added that rich nations should be able to buy their way out of 100% of their responsibilities - though he doubted that any country would want to do so.

Green groups said the proposal was against the spirit of the UN, which agreed that wealthy countries - who were responsible for climate change - should do most to cure it.

Mike Childs from Friends of the Earth said: "This proposal simply won't deliver the cuts we need in time. The scientists are telling us that we need to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) by 50-80% by 2050.

"Unless rich countries start to wean themselves off fossil fuels right away this won't happen."

Doug Parr of Greenpeace was equally critical of Mr de Boer's suggestion.

"The current trading system is not delivering emissions reductions as it is," he said. "Expanding it like this to give rich countries a completely free hand will simply not work."

But Mr de Boer further explained: "The atmosphere does not care where emissions are reduced as long as they are reduced.

"Most of the cheapest emissions reduction possibilities are in developing countries. The carbon market can be used to catalyse these. So in terms of the maximum result at the lowest possible cost, it does not matter where emissions are reduced.

"Rich countries have the responsibility to take the lead by substantially reducing emissions at home."

Rich countries that reduced emissions at home were investing in their own clean energy future, rather than someone else's, he added.


ASSIGNMENT NO. 2

Based on the principles and tools of journalism that you've read about, write a news story on any topic. The article should not exceed 500 words. At the end of the article, tell us whether it's a hard news or a feature story, and why.

Keep in mind that PEARL aims to provide a unique youth perspective through your stories. When you select story ideas, think about what interests you, and what young people like you would be interested in reading about.

Find new ideas and angles to issues that people don’t know about. If you rely on the news media or websites as your sources, your story will not be original. This will lead to a story that's already been reported and discussed in the media.

You will play a very important role as a youth reporter representing your country in this global project. When you look at local issues and specific ideas that come from your communities, you will automatically find original ideas.


ASSIGNMENT NO. 3

Here’s your last assignment!

This is an imaginary situation. Explain what you would do in not more than 50 words.

Your uncle owns a company that sells computer games and he is about to launch a new game in the market. Would you write a news story about this? Why/why not?

CONGRATULATIONS 3

The Makati Science Vision, the official student publication of the Makati Science High School, congratulates John Edward Dominique Dela Paz Dalida and Rojane Meca Melendres, The Makati Science Vision editor in chief and editorial assistant, respectively; and Abegail Valderama Dapito, Jessica Monajan Elorde, Maricar Dizon Llamson, Ma Rhenee Maye Sayson Reñido, and Ian Christopher Omambac Tisang of IV-Isaac Newton for passing the Pearl World Youth News Reporter Certification Course in International Journalism.

Dalida, Melendres, Dapito, Elorde, Llamson, Reñido, and Tisang received recommendations from Ben Frumin of the Columbia University-Graduate School of Journalism (CU-GSJ) and Anindita Dutta Roy, International Education and Resource Network-United States of America (iEARN-USA) Membership and Youth Media Programs director, both of New York, New York, USA.

Nineteen other IV-Newton students are still waiting for the results of their certification as international reporters from the CU-GSJ and the iEARN-USA to enable them to begin reporting for the Pearl World Youth News, an online international news service managed by secondary school students from around the world.

A partnership of the iEARN and the Daniel Pearl Foundation, the Pearl World Youth News promotes ethics, integrity, and cross-cultural understanding in the spirit of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was murdered by terrorists in Pakistan in 2002.

Visit http://www.pearl.iearn.org/pearlnews/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/ to read the Pearl World Youth News.

CONGRATULATIONS 2

The Makati Science Vision, the official student publication of the Makati Science High School, congratulates Mark Robert Benson Baldo, The Makati Science Vision news editor, and Paula Bianca Etaoc Amil, Inez Margarita Diestro Montenegro, and Thea Cecilia Fabian Suico of IV-Sir Isaac Newton for passing the Pearl World Youth News Reporter Certification Course in International Journalism.

Baldo, Amil, Montenegro, and Suico received recommendations from Ben Frumin of the Columbia University-Graduate School of Journalism (CU-GSJ) and Anindita Dutta Roy, International Education and Resource Network-United States of America (iEARN-USA) Membership and Youth Media Programs director, both of New York, New York, USA.

Nine other students, in the persons of John Edward Dominique Dela Paz Dalida and Rojane Meca Melendres, The Makati Science Vision editor in chief and editorial assistant, respectively; and Rhom Justin Garcia Dela Rosa, Jessica Monajan Elorde, Jasmin Martinez Garcia, Michael Dominic Zabala Padlan, Ma Rhenee Maye Sayson Reñido, John Vincent Maik Solis, and Ian Christopher Omambac Tisang, also of IV-Newton, need to rewrite their second assignments before they will be certified as international reporters.

Other IV-Newton students are still waiting for the results of their certification as international reporters from the CU-GSJ and the iEARN-USA to enable them to begin reporting for the Pearl World Youth News, an online international news service managed by secondary school students from around the world.

A partnership of the iEARN and the Daniel Pearl Foundation, the Pearl World Youth News promotes ethics, integrity, and cross-cultural understanding in the spirit of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was murdered by terrorists in Pakistan in 2002.