Emma - The Musical ...

...combines local Filipino talent with Second World War tale of love and struggle

Local production by Edmonton Filipino community tells poignant story

LIANE FAULDER

Updated: June 25, 2018

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Quick, think of a love story set during the Second World War. Casablanca, right? Or maybe The English Patient?

Actually, the story of note is Emma The Musical — a romantic tale set against the Japanese invasion of the Philippines during the Second World War. If the musical’s local composer Erica Cawagas has anything to say about it, the show, debuting July 7 at the Myer Horowitz Theatre, will soon be on stages from here to the Philippines and back, and on the lips of every fan who can’t resist a heartfelt tune set to a series of body-busting dance moves.

Cawagas, who partnered to create Emma with TV producer and writer Chie Floresca, knows the story will sell within Edmonton’s substantial Filipino community. But she’s hoping non-Filipinos will come, too.

“It’s a musical about the Second World War and the first thing you think about is Germany, the U.S. and Pearl Harbour,” says Cawagas, 25, who was born in the Philippines but moved to Edmonton when she was two. “But there are a lot of things that happened to the Philippines during Second World War. We had a big effect on the war, and it had a big effect on us. These are stories that should be told.”

Jeannine Naboye, left, and Gerald Penaco, background left, Raphael Tolentino and Maicah Macatangay in a scene from Emma the Musical. LARRY WONG /POSTMEDIA NETWORK

Cawagas was raised around music. Her mother is a piano and guitar teacher and Cawagas was drawn to perform at a young age, becoming a member of a Journey cover band when she attended Harry Ainlay High School.

After graduating from MacEwan University with a diploma in musical composition in 2014, the award-winning musician was unsure how to apply her artistic talents. At the time, her family in the Philippines was getting set to celebrate her great grandmother Emma’s 95th birthday, and so Cawagas and her aunt, Chie Floresca, decided to write a musical tribute in her honour.

The musical tells the story of an endearing young school teacher, Emma, who must make difficult choices about life while the war rages around her. It is set in a rural town near Baguio City, Philippines, on the cusp of the Japanese occupation of 1942,

Sadly, great grandmother Emma died before the show could be realized, but the dream was launched. Cawagas moved to the Philippines, where her aunt lives, for a year to get the show up and running, but couldn’t get funding to launch it there. So she came back to Edmonton, where her pitch met with success.

“My artistic family is here in Edmonton and I have a great team here,” says Cawagas.

Funded in part through a grant by the Edmonton Arts Council, as well as the Filipino-Canadian Saranay Association of Alberta, the musical features a singing and dancing cast of 22.

“It’s a big production and everyone has given as much time as they can to this,” says Cawagas.

Max’s Restaurant, a restaurant chain from the Philippines with an Edmonton outlet, has provided support, as well as Loriz Bakery, and the Four Points Hotel.

All the cast members are local talents and the Filipino community performing arts leader, Ida Beltran-Lucila, founder of the Philippine Arts Council, directs the production. Choreography is by JoJo Lucila, who has taught and choreographed with the Edmonton Festival Ballet, at Victoria School of the Arts, and the Ukrainian Shumka Dancers.

“First of all, it’s an original Filipino musical, in English, and based on the true story of the great grandmother, so it’s personal,” says Beltran-Lucila of the production’s appeal. “This story is about love of country, love of family, and hope.

“It’s not full of gory details, we just touch on the war, but it’s a story set within that historical framework. It is also a love story within a tragedy. Just like Titanic.”

Ideally, the producers hope to take the musical across Canada, and eventually to Manilla. Emma The Musical is designed to be portable.

“The set, everything is collapsible, and could fit in the baggage part of a bus,” says Beltran-Lucila, a ballet dancer by training and the former executive director with the national ballet company of the Philippines. “We just want it to have a life beyond July 7.”

Roused to anger?

My column in

Mindanao Daily

---

HAVE MY SAY
By KLAUS DORING

ANGER. A day rarely goes by without us feeling angry. It is not necessary to cite examples. Sometimes, it's just a minor reason like we hate the fly at the wall. Sometimes anger has important reasons.

Anger seems to become main part in our daily life. That's why it is really important to talk (again?) about this phenomenon. As I said, anger is one of the most basic emotions. Everyone can really get angry. If someone told you, he won't get angry, better don't believe him.

Anger is a terrible feeling of being against something or someone. It can be my neighbor, because he is still (!) burning poisonous plastic and rubber garbage. Many of us get angry observing some politicians during those days worldwide.

Anger is a hostile emotion that sets people against one and another, or even against themselves. By its nature, anger involves opposition, hostility, hatred and dislike. Anger, however, is simpler to define that to identify. Emotions of antagonism can take a wider variety of faces. Expressions of anger range from the overt, in-your-face brand of open hostility to the cold indifference of a silent individual.

Anger at the workplace is becoming very common nowadays.

One of my good friends works as stewardess. Imagine yourself 35,000 feet up, pushing a trolley down a narrow aisle surrounded by restless passengers. A toddler is blocking your path, his parents not immediately visible. A passenger is irritated that he can no longer pay cash for an in-flight meal, another is demanding to be allowed past to use the toilet. And your job is to meet all of their needs with the same show of friendly willingness. For a cabin crew member, this is when emotional labor kicks in at work.

A term first coined by sociologist Arlie Hochschild, it’s the work we do to regulate our emotions to create “a publicly visible facial and bodily display within the workplace”.

At times, anger can be felt like an inner fire. It hits you in the gut. You see red and feel hot and maybe sweaty. Your stomach gives you problems, our blood pressure rises, and breathing rate increases. Not only neighbors or politicians are the reason of anger. The silent withdrawal and lack of understanding and innumerable shortcomings of a partner or in the family are often an indication that one is angrily punishing the other for not doing things his or her way.

Back to the workplace: unhelpful attitudes such as ‘I’m not good enough’ may lead to thinking patterns in the workplace such as ‘No-one else is working as hard as I seem to be’ or ‘I must do a perfect job’, and can initiate and maintain high levels of workplace anxiety.

When research into emotional labor first began, it focused on the service industry with the underlying presumption that the more client or customer interaction you had, the more emotional labor was needed.

However, more recently psychologists have expanded their focus to other professions and found burnout can relate more closely to how employees manage their emotions during interactions, rather than the volume of interactions themselves. Perhaps just only today you turned to a colleague to convey interest in what they said, or had to work hard not to rise to criticism. It may have been that biting your lip rather than expressing feeling hurt was particularly demanding of your inner resource.

But in some cases maintaining the façade can become too much, and the toll is cumulative.

In another friend's last position, the “customer was king”. She was working in a shopping mall. Many times, she got a tirade of abuse from several customers. “When I explained what happened to my senior, I was told I must have said or done something to warrant this response… I was then told I should go and apologize.” Yes, that's how it is!

As I stated earlier: Minor things could become the start of anger. Over the years, handling the stress caused by suppressing one's emotions became much harder. Small things seemed huge, we easily dreaded going to work and anxiety escalated.

Across the globe, employees in many professions are expected to embrace a work culture that requires the outward display of particular emotions – these can including ambition, aggression and a hunger for success.

The way we handle emotional labor can be categorized in two ways – surface acting and deep acting.

A few years ago, the New York Times wrote a “lengthy piece about the “Amazon Way”, describing very specific and exacting behaviour the retail company required of its employees and the effects, both positive and negative, that this had on some of them. While some appeared to thrive in the environment, others struggled with constant pressure to show the correct corporate face.

“How we cope with high levels of emotional labour likely has its origins in childhood experience, which shapes the attitudes we develop about ourselves, others and the world,” says clinical and occupational psychologist Lucy Leonard.

“Unhelpful attitudes such as ‘I’m not good enough’ may lead to thinking patterns in the workplace such as ‘No-one else is working as hard as I seem to be’ or ‘I must do a perfect job”, and can initiate and maintain high levels of workplace anxiety,” says Leonard.

Workers are often expected to provide good service to people expressing anger or anxiety – and may have to do this while feeling frustrated, worried or offended themselves.

Take the example of a particularly tough phone call. If you are surface acting you respond to the caller by altering your outward expression, saying the appropriate things, listening while keeping your actual feelings entirely intact. With deep acting you make a deliberate effort to change your real feelings to tap in to what the person is saying – you may not agree with the manner of it but appreciate the aim.

Both could be thought of as just being polite but the latter approach – trying to emotionally connect with another person’s point of view – is associated with a lower risk of burnout. Good thing: many offices over the last decade have created recreational or rest spaces in a bid to mitigate employee stress.

When things get tough, you might be very lucky talking to colleagues to unload. “It’s the saying it out loud that allows me to test and validate my own reaction. I can then go back to the person concerned,” one of my former office mates in Germany explained many years ago.

Those who report regularly having to display emotions at work that conflict with their own feelings are more likely to experience emotional exhaustion

Remaining true to your feelings appears to be key – numerous studies show those who report regularly having to display emotions at work that conflict with their own feelings are more likely to experience emotional exhaustion.

Of course, everybody needs to be professional at work and handling difficult clients and colleagues is often just part of the job. But what’s clear is that putting yourself in their shoes and trying to understand their position is ultimately of greater benefit to your own well-being than voicing sentiments that, deep down, you don’t believe.

Where it is possible, workers should be truly empathetic, be aware of the impact the interaction is having on them and try to communicate in an authentic way. Easy to say, yes, I know. But let's give a try!

Thrilled watching Lea on Broadway

Thrilled watching Lea on Broadway

FUNFARE - Ricky Lo (The Philippine Star) - June 23, 2018 - 12:00am

Curtain-raiser:

• Reigning Miss Universe-Philippines Catriona Gray (photo)…

• On the Philippines not hosting the 2018 Miss Universe pageant: I’m not really particular about where the pageant will be held. I know that wherever in the world it will be, I will feel the presence of the Filipino supporters and they will make it a celebration nonetheless.

• On former Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach’s comment (in yesterday’s STAR story) that it’s a nice experience to compete abroad: Pia would know, having competed abroad and having passed on her crown here in the Philippines, so she has first-hand experienced both. Again, wherever it will be, will be. I’m just excited to represent the Philippines on the international stage.

*  *  *

STAR columnist Anthony Suntay (center) with business partner Ernest Estrella and friend Anilyn Pitao before the show…

“Oh my!!! Thanks to our fans for all the island love!!!”

With that, Lea Salonga received the Best Featured Actress in a Musical honors from the 16th Theater Fans’ Choice Awards for her performance as Erzulie in the Broadway musical Once On This Island. Her co-star, Alex Newell, won Best Featured Actor in a Musical.

The musical bagged more awards: Best Revival of a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical, Best Choreography, Best Lighting Design, Best Orchestrations, Best Scenic Design, Best Sound Design of a Musical and Best Musical Ensemble.

“I want to congratulate Lea for adding another feather to her already well-decorated cap,” said STAR columnist Anthony Suntay. “My friends and I were lucky to have caught the musical at the Circle in the Square Theater in New York three weeks before the Fans’ Choice Awards.”

Barely two weeks ago, Once On This Island won Best Revival of a Musical at the 72nd Tony Awards.

The trip was actually unplanned, according to Anthony who was in Toronto for a worldwide conference for his work with UMAC Forwarders Express with his business partner Ernest Estrella.

“Ernest suggested we make a quick trip to New York,” Anthony related in his letter to Funfare, “and it gave me an opportunity to see some friends and to visit the office of Major League Soccer. I also watched a game between the New York City FC and Colorado Rapids at the historic Yankee Stadium at the Bronx.”

But the highlight of their New York side trip was, yes, watching Lea on Broadway.

…and after the show with Hailey Kilgore (who plays Ti Moune in Once On This Island).

“We were very lucky that Ernest’s good friend Anilyn Pitao was able to secure tickets because the matinee show was sold out,” continued Anthony. “So together with my son, Kael, we all trooped to the quaint theater where notable celebrities like Mathew Broderick and Al Pacino had previously performed.”

Once On This Island is a story of a peasant girl, Ti Moune, who uses love to bring together people of different social classes, intertwined with her love affair with Daniel, from the upper class of society. Lea plays Erzulie, the goddess of love, who guides and supports Ti Moune in her quest.

“I was amazed at how Lea mesmerized the crowd with her presence, and captivated all of us with her singing,” gasped Anthony. “I have watched Lea since she was a young performer in locally-produced musicals and so it’s no surprise that she was brilliant. I was actually starting to think that I was just being biased since I have been a fan of Lea since forever, but listening to all the other members of the audience discuss her performance after the show really made me beam with pride.

“They were mentioning that despite the many talented actors and actresses in the show, Lea was the one who truly stood out. That wasn’t necessarily disrespectful to the other members of the cast; it’s just that Lea was truly in a class of her own.”

After the show, dozens of theater-goers eagerly waited to meet the cast, and they were looking forward to meeting Lea, but they were disappointed that she didn’t come out because she apparently rushed home to be with her daughter Nicole.

“Well,” added Anthony, “all I can say is that if you happen to be in New York, rush to the Circle on the Square and watch Lea in Once On This Island before the musical closes maybe end of this month. And, yes, I’m biased but I don’t think anyone can enthrall the Broadway fans as well as Lea does!”

(E-mail reactions at rickylophilstar@gmail.com. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)

Davao Norte gears up for 51st Kadagayaan Festival 2018

Week-long festivities will usher in the 51st Kadagayaan Festival of Davao del Norte, this time featuring the "Visit Davao Summer Festival 2018" aimed at showcasing the province's diverse culture and rich natural resources.

The festival, which will run from June 24 to July 1, will honor the 'Dabaonons' proud heritage, multicultural identity, resiliency and creativity, said Davao del Norte provincial tourism head Noel Daquioag.

Among the activities lined up for the festival is the holding of the Investment Conference (ICon), in partnership with the BIMP-EAGA (Brunei Darussalem-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area) in coordination with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

Daquioag said the festival is also being supported by the Department of Tourism, which is also organizing a tourism fair featuring interactive exhibits to be showcased in an open-air pavilion in partnership with the local government units and industry leaders.

The exhibit, he said, will be on the province's must-visit destinations, such as popular beaches and waterfalls, coral gardens, marine park, and culture farm for pearls. Another pavilion will feature an Agri-Aqua Trade Expo with a highly-interactive exhibit of industry-based products.

Daquioag said one of the main highlights will be the Binibining DavNor 2018, which organizers hope to become the grandest beauty pageant in the region.

I am honored and blessed being invited to become one of the distinguished judges along with selected government official, beauty queens, beauty pageant mentors and other influential personalities.

Another will be the Hudyaka 2018, featuring the different festivals all over Mindanao, showcasing the heritage of the island's tribes and ethnic groups.

Meanwhile, some 300 participants will see action during the MUSAMAN TriDavNor National Triathlon competing in the 1.5-km swim, 40 km bike and 10-km run.

Daquioag said the race aims a promote a healthier lifestyle and at the same time promote the province's tourism sites.

Palace: We're Filipinos - let's talk peace in the Philippines

By: Alexis Romero (The Philippine Star)

MANILA, Philippines — There is no need for a third party facilitator for the peace talks between the government and the communists because the matter can be addressed by Filipinos, Malacañang said yesterday.

“Let’s just say that as far as the President is concerned, venue matters. He does not understand why we should continue talking in Norway. We are all Filipinos. We can talk about it here in the Philippines. Why do we need to go far? It will just entail costs,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said at a press briefing.

Asked if there is a need for a third party facilitator for the talks, Roque replied: “Wala na po siguro, nandito na naman tayo sa Pilipinas. (Perhaps no more. We are here in the Philippines).”

“But you know, any party who wants to help and who’s been involved in the process can help. But the point of the President is he does not understand why we have to talk in another country,” Roque added.

Roque said the government peace panel has the authority to fix the logistics and other requirements for the resumption of talks. He noted that President Duterte has also offered to shoulder the costs of travel of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chairman Jose Maria Sison and other communist negotiators who will join the talks with the National Democratic Front (NDF).

“The President is dead serious about (the talks). He has already asked the Department of Justice to file the necessary motions in court to set free individuals who will be participating in the talks and I think that is the best evidence of good faith on the part of the government,” he added.

Palace justifies delay
Duterte has moved the talks scheduled for this month to July, a move that communists said would enable the military to launch offensives against the New People’s Army (NPA).

Roque said the delay in the talks with the communists was meant to ensure that any agreement would pass legal scrutiny.

He said the communists should go slow in releasing documents and statements about topics that should be settled during negotiations.
“(Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process) Secretary (Jesus) Dureza told me there are matters that should be discussed among negotiators and should not be released to the public,” he said.

“They can address their troops but let’s keep matters being discussed in the peace talks for the ears of the negotiators for the time being,” said Roque.

One of the documents released by the NDF is the supposed stand-down agreement that was said to have been signed by government and communist negotiators in Utrecht, the Netherlands last June 8.

The stand-down agreement supposedly required the two parties to cease hostilities to create an atmosphere conducive for the resumption of formal peace talks. The agreement also prohibits the conduct of offensives against combatants and civilians.

Roque said he could not comment on a document that was not released by the government.

“I have not seen the document and as far as I am concerned, we still have to subject it to authentication and vetting, which is our practice in the Office of the Presidential Spokesperson,” he added.

Communist guerrillas believe the government cancelled the resumption of peace negotiations because of a plan for an all-out military offensive across the country until the end of the year.

“By calling off the scheduled peace negotiations with the NDF, Duterte aims to give the Armed Forces of the Philippines more time to complete its military campaign plan for (the year) of mounting bigger offensives under Oplan Kapayapaan in the hope of crippling the NPA and inducing the NDF to negotiate a surrender,” the CPP yesterday said.

But Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has belied these claims. – With Artemio Dumlao, Michael Punongbayan, Jose Rodel Clapano

PLGU Comval joins 'Oplan Balik Eskwela' in Marawi

By: Rey Antibo

Compostela Valley Province--- The provincial local government unit (PLGU) of Compostela Valley joins the conduct of “Oplan Balik Eskwela 2018” in Marawi City on June 8-10, 2018.

Governor Jayvee Tyron L. Uy led the team together with the employees of the provincial engineering office.

The recipient school was in Pendolonan Elementary School in Marawi City were the province committed to repair the 2-units of classroom, repair of their comfort rooms and by donating a Bestank to be used for the potable water storage.

The program was also in collaboration with the Gawad Kalinga (GK) volunteers from Luzon, Visayas and from the land of Mindanao.

Faida P. Razul- one of the displaced teachers in Marawi Siege expressed her gratitude to the volunteers coming from the different places especially Comval for extending their help in preparing their school for the opening of classes.

“Sukad sukad sa dihang nahuman ang giyera sa Marawi nabati niya ang pag higugma nga gikan sa iyang kapwa Pilipino tungod sa sinsirong pagtabang sa pagrepair ug pagpanindot sa ilang eskwelahan pinaagi sa bayanihan nga programa,” said Razul.

Meanwhile, Manaoray Taratingan said that one of their problems is the damaged classrooms, water storage facility and the comfort rooms.

“Lisod gyud mag open ug klase kung nangaguba na atong facilities sa school unya walay saktong kapasilungan ang atong mga kabataan,” said Taratingan.

“Dako kaayo among kalipay ug pasalamat in behalf sa mga teachers ug parents sa mga taga Comval labi na kay Gov. Uy nga bisan sa kalayo sa ilang lugar giadto ug gitabangan gyud sila aron maandam ang ilang tagsa tagsa ka mga eskwelahan para sa pag abli sa klase,” said Taratingan.  (Rey Antibo, ID Comval)

Giduaw ni Comval Gov. Tyron Uy ang Ground Zero sa Marawi City kauban ang mga personahe sa Gawad Kalinga ug Provincial Government of Compostela Valley sa maong pagbisita. Matud niya, "Dili angay kalimtan ang nahitabo dinhi sa Marawi. We are reminded that we should come together as a country to ensure that we can rebuild this city. Compostela Valley remembers Marawi.”   Si Gov Uy mao usab ang kasamtangan chairman sa Regional Peace and Order Council. (Maryel Lasaca // ID Comval)

Comval's last leg for VDSF

Aquathlon culminates in Mabini

Compostela Valley province—The province’s last leg for the Visit Davao Fun Sale (VDSF) event culminates with the successful holding of the 1^st Comval Aquathlon held in Mabini on June 17, 2018.

“The Comval Aquathlon is the last VDSF event hosted by Comval from mountain climbing for women last April, to Mars Attack National Climb last May and successfully ended in the fine waters of Mabini Protected Landscape Seascape, our way of celebrating Father’s Day!”, Provincial Tourism Officer Christine Dompor said.

With 96 participants, the aquathlon covers a 600-meter swim challenge from Kopiat Island to the mainland, particularly at Manaklay Beach Resort, and a 1,000-meter run for the adult category and kids aging 11-14 years old. While the kids’ category ages 7-10 years old covers a 200m swim.

For the over-all adult category aging 20-49 years old, Jomar Turno of Tagum City bested other swimmers-runners clocking 16:01 (16 min, 1 sec) followed by Edison Cayano at 16:24 and Dos Gumela at 16:33.  For the boys/girls category (7-10 y.o.), Xander Barraca topped at 3:20 followed by Matthew Dugaduga at 3:21 and Keanne Albert Alpiz at 3:22.

The 1^st place for all categories received cash prizes of P7,000 and plaques each. While the 2^nd  and 3^rd placers received cash prizes of P5,000 and P3,000 each plus plaques, respectively. All finishers also received medals and gift items from the event sponsors.

Jojo Bernadas who topped the female adult category aging 35-49 y.o, finds it challenging saying the experience was great. “I am a runner and joined ultra marathon. But this is my first time to swim in open water and join this kind of competition,” the 49 year-old power-lady said.

“We would like to position Comval as a prime tourism destination, also hosting triathlon and other sports events. We have this beautiful island for a great cross-channel experience,” Gov. Tyron Uy, who is also a sports enthusiast, said.

Also present and giving their support are Mabini Mayor Reynaldo Dayanghirang, President and CEO Tomas Lorenzo of Lorenzo Group of Companies and owner of the Lubi Plantation in Kopiat Island, the jump off point for the swim-run event, Department of Tourism (DOT) Regional Director Butch Blanco, CVPPO Provincial Director PSSupt Roderico Roy, AFP, local officials and different partner-organizers of the event such as the Provincial and Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council and Health Offices, Mabini tourism officer Elizabeth Dayanghirang    Red Cross-Comval, and the Phil. Coast Guard, and the different support offices of the provincial government. The race technical director of the event is Dax  Ang of Davao Adventure Xtreme.

Summing up the event, Dompor ended, “it’s a splash, it’s an epic run! We happily thank everyone for joining us this year and we are cooking for more sports adventure in Compostela Valley from highlands to the islands!”    (fe fuentes-maestre/ID Comval)

Negativity kills

My column in Mindanao Daily Mirror and Mindanao Daily:

NEGATIVITY KILLS

Sometimes, we feel our life is turning miserably. Our negativity doesn't allow us to keep our eyes, ears - and, most important! -  our minds, hearts and souls opened. Were reaching our breaking point.

As I said several months ago here: this breaking point can be the prelude to our strongest moment. It is when we reach our breaking point, that we discover our real strength. Allow me to ask you, my dear readers, "What happens to you or with you when you reach your breaking point?" Do you face it or do you run away?

I'll be giving you a very simple answer: If you face it - you break it. If you run away (and/or close your ears, eyes and mouth) - it surely breaks you!

Everyday - a dull reality! Many of us will answer this question with a big YES! Actually we do like to cover a newborn day already with grey veil? Each day has a new face, but sometimes we don't have the strength to watch its countenance. Of course, not every day has adventures and highlights.

But we enjoy quarreling and arguing. With other people and even with ourselves.

Contrary to what might be expected, I look back on experiences that, at the same time, seemed especially desolating and painful with a particular satisfaction. Indeed, everything I have learned, everything that has truly enhanced and enlightened my existence, has been through affliction and not through happiness. 

If it ever were to be possible to eliminate affliction from your earthly existence, the result would not be make life delectable, but to make it too banal and trivial to be endurable. 

By observation, we can feel that many of us need help to manage the everyday life. We need something that would keep us going as we journey through life. Many times we can also learn from other people and their experiences.

Blue eyed or very philosophical but so very true: If the world is to be brought to order, a nation must be first changed.  If  nation isn' t be changed, my home town is to be reordered and must be first set be right, my dear brothers and sisters. And, one step further: If my family is to be regenerated, I MYSELF MUST FIRST BE!

And here is one more thing: Affection is the humblest love - it gives itself no airs. It lives with humble and private things: soft slippers, old clothes, old jokes, and the thump of a sleepy dog's tail on the kitchen floor. The glory of affection, the disposition of mind, the good will and tender attachment, is that it can unite those who are not "made for one and another", people. Who, if not out down by fate in the same household or community, would have nothing to do with one and another.

For me life has been a thing of ups and downs in approximately equal measure. I don't have something sensational to report every day about my progress. Often, I wonder if fulfillment in life is necessarily tied to change for the better.

Over 200 schools file tuition hike petition

By: Janvic Mateo (The Philippine Star) - 

MANILA, Philippines — Over 200 private colleges and universities are seeking government approval to increase tuition and other fees this year due to the impact of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law and the migration of teachers to state-funded tertiary institutions.

In a press briefing yesterday, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) officer-in-charge J. Prospero de Vera said their regional offices have endorsed the applications for tuition and other fee increases of 248 private higher education institutions (HEIs).

The data do not include applications from Region 4-A, which are expected to be submitted to the commission next week before the board tackles the requests for increases.

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“The regional offices have completed their work on evaluating the applications. There is no decision of the commission en banc yet but there are some preliminary data,” De Vera said.

“This number may go down depending on the decision of the commission en banc next week,” he added.

Of the 248 HEIs, 211 are asking for increase in both tuition and other school fees, 27 only on tuition and 10 only on other school fees.

Asked for reasons for the increase, De Vera said the HEIs cited the impact of the TRAIN law and the migration of faculty members to state-funded colleges and universities (SUCs) that offer better compensation.

“Some are saying (these are) effects of the TRAIN law,” he said. “Also, because cost of education has really gone higher. Remember, one of the problems being encountered by private universities now is they are losing their good faculty to SUCs.”

The CHED official noted that private schools have to be competitive in terms of salary for them not to lose teachers to the public sector.

“Private universities are losing a lot of their very good faculty because they cannot pay them competitive salaries. Tuition increases (are) the number one way of making the salaries competitive because 70 percent of any tuition fee increase must be given to salaries,” he said.

In addition to new faculty items in SUCs, he noted the Department of Education has created a lot of items for senior high school teachers, which offer higher compensation than some of the smaller private universities.

De Vera, however, stressed that the number of private HEIs seeking increases in tuition and other fees is just a small percentage of the over 1,600 private tertiary institutions nationwide.

“Majority of private universities are not increasing fees. It’s only a small percentage, only 14 percent of HEIs have applied for tuition increase,” he said. “The impact of this overall may not be as bad as speculated.”

Read more at https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2018/06/15/1824852/over-200-schools-file-tuition-hike-petition#UhyE9XxsL2z6FAdx.99