The Ilocos Times

Language mismatch between the classroom and the home can significantly reduce learning outcomes, with Filipino learners paying what researchers describe as a hidden “tax on learning,” according to studies presented during a recent Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) webinar. The webinar brought together findings from two PIDS-supported studies examining how language affects learning outcomes, literacy development, and the implementation of education policies in the Philippines. Presenting findings from the study “ Linguistic Mismatch and Learning Productivity: Evidence from Mother Tongue-based Education in the Philippines ,” PIDS senior research fellow Michael Ralph Abrigo said learners perform better when the language used in school matches the language they speak and understand at home. “The mismatch of languages is like taxes,” Abrigo said. He explained that when students and teachers do not fully understand one another, learners expend additional effort a...

In our urban centers, disaster-victims can often be found with relative speed: the roads, addresses and communications are more or less in place, and rescue teams know where to look. In remote areas, however ­– mountain villages, far-flung barangays, communities cut off after storms and landslides ­– the challenge is far greater. And that leads to the question: How do we track down disaster victims in these remote, hard-to-reach zones?   The promise of technology Today , a host of modern tools are available: remote sensing , GIS , GPS , and increasingly, AI-powered localization systems . Put simply: Remote sensing : satellites and drones can scan large swathes of land, detect terrain changes, collapsed structures, heat signatures or other signs of human presence. GIS (Geographic Information Systems) : integrates spatial data (maps, terrain, infrastructure) with reports and sensor inputs so that responders can visualize where victims might be stranded. GPS : tracks the l...

THIS is about charity, the very essence of God. And as God’s image and likeness, we are supposed to also have this essence. It’s a charity that is not simply human and natural, but rather divine and supernatural. As such, it requires the very grace of God for us to have it. But we have to understand that this charity that does not go against our human nature. It simply goes beyond it, purifying and elevating our human love to make it also divine. This truth of our Christian faith is illustrated in that gospel episode where Christ spelled out how we have to love. “You have heard that it has been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,” he said. “But I say to you not to resist evil: but if one strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him also the other; and if a man will contend with you in judgment, and take away your coat, let go your cloak also to him.” (Mt 5,38-40) More than that, Christ also said, “And whosoever will force you one mile, go with him other two. Give t...