Education Secretary Armin Luistro said Tuesday that he is amenable to non-compulsory sex education in public schools, based on parents’ approval.
He compared alternative reproductive health education for high school students to religion classes held after school hours.
“Naniniwala ang Constitution na dapat matuto sila sa pananampalataya nila. Pagkatapos ng regular class, open ang mga silid-paaralan para doon sakop ang mga religious instructors, pero mga Katoliko lang with the permission of their parents,” Luistro told radio station dzMM.
He also believes that sex education lessons, which should be values-laden, would even be better …

From the Manila Bulletin:
The Center for Research and Epidemiology Disasters (CRED) here disclosed the Philippines ranked first worldwide in the most number of disasters that hit a country with 25.
In an annual statistical review complied by the group, the country led the list of natural disaster events with 24 followed by China with 16 thereby making the country as the hardest hit in terms of calamities that pose a serious threat to life and limb.
Based on a 46-page report, natural disasters are defined as events where 10 or more people …

By: Mogli
Masarap ang sex.
Mahalaga na masarap ang sex upang gawin natin ito. Sa kasalukuyan, ito ang pinakamabisang paraan ng pagpapalaganap ng sangkatauhan (o ng anumang hayop na nakasalalay ang pag-iral sa sekswal na reproduksyon). Ang sex ay produkto ng napakahabang proseso ng ebolusyon. Sa madaling salita, ‘kumbaga sa sukang-paombong, pinasarap ito ng panahon.
Sa lahat ng mga nilalang, tanging tao lamang ang may kakayahang maki-pag sex kung kailan niya gustuhin. Karaniwan kasi, ang pagtatalik ay nagaganap lamang kung kainitan na ng babaeng hayop. Ito yung tinatawag na “oestrus period” o “period …

(Photo Credits: Here)
About 46 countries including all the 27 members of the European Union, with the exception of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, San Morino, and the Ukraine have decided to adopt the Bologna Accord this year – 2010.
I can’t help but notice: “Bakit parang wala lang?“, as far education officials are concerned?
What is the Bologna Accord?
In 1999, the Ministers of Education of 29 European countries agreed to make the school systems of their countries compatible with each other. Degrees from one country would then have to be accepted …

65 students per teacher among woeful school conditions, reports the GMA News.
As schools across the country opened today, we are hearing pretty much the same thing that we’ve heard before: overcrowded schools, public schools severely lacking basic facilities like comfort rooms, etc., etc. There is news I read that, you simply cannot blame the “private school mentality” now, because parents want their kids to not only have decent education but also basic school facilities like comfort rooms.
We’re not even short of rational debate on how to improve public education. We …

Imagine my new role: Reyna Elena, La Kapita de’l Barrio Siete, defender of Jejemon rights! Bwahaha!!! But don’t laugh now. In fact, I’ve been labeled as a Jejemon already.
Jejemons are called the new jologs, labeled as people of inferior mentality. If they are of inferior intellect, then how in the world were they able to invent and be creative with a brand new language of their own? And if you’re a jejemon hater, show your prowess of superior intellect by translating their language. Care for a challenge?

Like our reader …

Recently, we heard this language fad – yeah, the jejemon language thingy – spread like wildfire among the youngsters of today. Not only the language became the fad but it also included some of the fashion too – the jejecap. And now, the fad is becoming more infectious (thanks to media), DepEd is now urging to purge the mentality out of the classrooms.
As it begins the yearly cleanup to prepare schools for the start of School Year 2010-2011, the Department of Education is also seeking to cleanse school-age Filipinos of …

Adam Wheeler is an impostor. Faked his credentials. He’s the notorious Harvard Hoax. Why is this oh so familiar?! Recto Avenue?! Morayta, perhaps?! Or is it because we’ve run across a few Pinoys who have pretty much done the same thing? Maybe not to the extent of what this guy has done.
For example, what some Pinoys would do when they get the chance to “study” in America, is to over-glamourize and/or embellish their credentials. Notice, I did not say “fake”. For example: how many times have we ran across Pinoys …

By TOTO CAUSING, President, Hukuman ng Mamamayan Movement, Inc. (HMMI)
(This is my speech on Jury System delivered on May 15, 2010 (Saturday pm) before alumni (Batch 87) of Pasay City West High School and their teachers and principal, Ms. Lourdes Garrido.)
My dear countrymen in Pasay City:
LET US CHANGE OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM.
Our justice system has already been more than 100 years old yet we see our morality in decadence.
Our justice system has already been more than 100 years old yet we see killings done with impunity. Look at how they killed …

That’s right! Buy me a beer at the WordCamp Raleigh 2010 in North Carolina because Barrio Siete is a proud sponsor of the WordCamp Raleigh 2010.
I was just sent an invitation to attend the WordCamp in San Francisco, California. I received the invite today, just now well, kanina.
Unfortunately, the said WordCamp is scheduled on May 1. Bummer!!! I could have visited my brother in San Francisco at the same time! And of course, I could have made some charity work in De Castro hahaha!!! I’d like to teach a few …

By: Yoying Pimentel
(Translated from its original Tagalog-Bicol version. Pulled from Sylvia Morningstar’s FB)

Good afternoon to you all, good afternoon to my Barangay Captain who is present today.
Greetings and congratulations to all the parents who for years have balanced their limited budget, reduced the food on their tables and looked away from a new t-shirt they badly needed – just so they could be here today – to see their child graduate from high school.
I would also like to greet the honorable teachers who tirelessly walked under the simmering sun and …

Somebody sent a parcel to our imaginary and barriotic P.O. Box in Barrio Siete. The contents of the parcel contained the alleged  psychological report of Noynoy Aquino. Here are the pictures of this so-called  psychological  report from Ateneo de Manila University.

The first 2 pages of the report may look like an original psychological report. Unfortunately, if you read the last page, it will reveal that the report is an ULTIMATE BOGUS.
The signatory in the report was Fr. Carmelo Caluag SJ. Fr. Caluag, by profession is a teacher and priest (as well as …

Photo credits from MSNBC.com
It is indeed, ONLY IN THE PHILIPPINES. We often refer to these lizards as BAYAWAK or BITATAWA in other local terms. Indigenous tribes such as the Agta as well as some of our rural people have found this lizard to be a tasty pulutan. There are also reports that this lizard specie is also found in the Southern provinces of Luzon such as Quezon and oftentimes, being sold as pets along the highway. Tsk.
The Philippines, known for its unique biodiversity showcasing diverse flora and fauna (and undoubtedly, …

Do you all remember Cyber Bully Eric Bordeos? The hate blogger who threatened Trixie Angeles daughter with this?

Cyber Bully Eric Bordeos, in his quest to destroy Reyna Elena, has inadvertently revealed that he supports software piracy. In his screenshot of the supposedly Dona Victorina VS Barrio Siete results on Google Insights, he gave me a clue on who he is: notice the small star on the bottom right corner of his desktop.

Did you see it? Here it is again. Notice the star on the far right hand corner at the …

By Felicity Tan
This post is dedicated to the changemakers and citizen journalists tagged on my Facebook. Keep writing, keep fighting
Last Friday, Nines Terol and I spoke briefly at a small forum on Social Media and Politics at the University of the Philippines’ College of Mass Communication, on behalf of the Liberal Party’s presidentiable and senatorial bets.
How is social media affecting this election?
This is the first presidential election in the Philippines that is heavily utilizing the online space, especially social media networks.
Online media is traditionally the domain of the …

Cable T.V., the internet, and iPhones have made Hollywood accessible with just a click of a button. And, unfortunately, these type of entertainment is also readily available to our children and could very well replace the roles of parents. Many are misled by the glamorous and dysfunctional lives of celebrities and “gangsters,” tagged as “real”, that it has become difficult for our youth to recognize their value in society and behave as citizens of the world. And with both mom and dad working in this present-day family, children are left behind and are very vulnerable to negative influences. (Many boys believe that real men should walk and talk like gangsters. And many girls think that “real men” have the right to treat them badly). And, working with the youth with psychiatric and behavioral challenges, it has become apparent to me that children that have received poor, or none, parenting are more susceptible to behavioral, emotional, cognitive, and social problems.

Last week, I had the opportunity to be a positive role model at my children’s elementary school through an initiative called WatchDOGS(Dads Of Great Students), a volunteer program that encourages fathers to bring positive male influences and security back in the school environment…

Here Are a Few Tips
A good education more often than not, paves the way for a good future. Due to steep competition in most professions though, a bachelor’s degree is oftentimes not enough to secure a job or climb high-up in the corporate ladder. Going abroad for graduate school offers a student a much wider horizon, in terms of training, experience, cultural integration, even communication skills. Most employers will put a premium to these. If you’re considering graduate school, here are few tips. Bear in mind though that I can …

Hello mga friendship! Juice ko ‘day kamusta naman kayo?
Well, if you ask me, heto pula pa rin ang aking hasang at nananatili pa rin ang ganda despite the fact na andaming pambabato ang aming natanggap dito sa Barrio Siete for the past few days. Ikaw ba naman ang salakayin ng mga fans ni ‘you know who’ at batu-batuhin ang aming barrio hall ng sangkaterbang panlalait at kung anik-anik pa, juice ko, maloloka ka talaga. Buti na lang at gawa sa marmol galing Italya ang barrio hall at matibay, dahil kung …

Alam kong madalas niyong mabasa ang katagang “chorvaloo” dito sa Barrio at malimit niyo rin itong marinig mula sa bunganga ng aming sangkapatiran pati na rin sa mga babae (at lalake?) na feeling miyembro na rin ng aming federacion.
Kung interesado kayong malaman ang history ng napaka-influential na salitang ito, continue reading this post.
Kung hindi niyo naman feel na malaman kung bakit may ganitong salita, ay huwag niyo nang ipagpatuloy ang pagbabasa at baka ito pa ang maging dahilan ng high blood niyo. Charing!
Disclaimer: Ang sumusunod na mga talata ay base …

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Who wants to be my pet dog?
That’s right.
I need you to link up with me as my twisted tita, nyorotik tito, uncontrollable nephew, crazy nephya, annoying couzin, insane ankle, wicked sisterrette, adik brotherhood, fadir smuggler, madir (oops!), bloody cook, conniving maid and pet dog.
Yeah!
It’s this Family Link on Facebook.
I don’t like the morbid thought of publicly arranging every FB member in column like.. in this column are the Ampatuan clan. On your left, the Mangudadato clan. In between? The Arroyo tribe.
Nunca!
I don’t believe in Family Linking sa …

I thought I’d share you this one entry sa Reyna na pinutakte nang mga lurkers nyahahaha! At nahiyang mag-comment kahit isa, but I know they’ve been accessing the entry hak hak hak! So here you go! Open your eyes wide! Hahaha!

Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity celebrates its anniversary on the 16th of December. At the University of the Philippines, they staged the traditional “Oblation Run” to protest against the recent massacre of journalists in the southern part of the country. This protest run was made on December 15, 2009 at the …

After stuffing ourselves with all the Thanksgiving turkey, my family and I decided to burn some calories by going to the Christmas tree farm. This was the first time we cut our own tree, and it was so much fun.

Words cannot describe the tragedy in Maguindanao. We all know that politics in the Philippines is dirty and violent, but this is beyond every Pinoy’s imagination. Many have been mum in disbelief that humans were capable of this horror, let alone a generally good-natured Filipino.

The news and the images circulating around the press and the internet not only presents our country to more embarassment and prejudice, but also neglects the need for privacy and comfort of the families of those who perished. Furthermore, it can further traumatize the already bruised and beaten sense of safety and innocence.

Photo credits here.
I received a sad news this previous week from a colleague of mine: some of our former teachers have been ill lately. Like for example, my former high school science teacher has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She had mastectomy (surgical removal of breasts) already and unfortunately, the cancer has already metastasized to her ovaries and bone. Surprisingly, when I asked my former biology teacher (of whom I crossed paths last Friday), I found out that this particular science teacher of mine, despite of her illness, she still …

Barrio Siete had the privilege of interviewing Efren Peñaflorida. Here’s Mahalia’s interview: An Extraordinary Life: Exclusive Interview with Efren Peñaflorida

Efren Peñaflorida was named the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year at gala show attended by Hollywood stars like actress Nicole Kidman and featured performances by Grammy Award-winning artist Carrie Underwood, R&B crooner Maxwell and British pop sensation Leona Lewis. CNN’s Anderson Cooper revealed Peñaflorida’s selection at the conclusion of the third-annual “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute” at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on Saturday night. The Tribute airs at 9 …