Igorot soldier Captain Capio described as the "Tarzan" for his bravery in battle

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte paid his respect to fallen soldier Captain L. Capio at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Fort Bonifacio yesterday.

Captain Capio was this year's first casualty in the ongoing fight against the bandit group Abu Sayyaf in Cabcaban, Sumisip Basilan on January 12, 2017.

Capt. Clintion Capio was hit during a nine-hour firefight with about 60 to 80 Abu Sayyaf members led by Furuji Indama in the jungle of Basilan.

Capio was the commanding officer of the 1st Special Force Company tasked to provide support to their fellow wounded soldiers who were pinned down. After two hours of intense firefight, Capio was hit by single enemy bullet in his right side temple, just a centimeter from the cover of his Kevlar helmet.

"He was wearing helmet but the angle of the cap might had been in an open position because they were moving in for assault when he was unfortunately hit, according to Western Command spokesperson Maj. Filemon Tan.

Captain Capio, who came from Bugias, Benguet was a member of the Philippine Military Academy class of 2006 under the Mandala Class (Mandirigmang Dangal ng Lahi)

His fellow soldiers has described him as the "Tarzan" for his bravery and for being always on top in ranger course training.

He is a "fighting leader" who "fights from the front' said 1Lt, Ron, JR Villarosa from the 4th Special Forces Battalion. Capio will be remembered as a "fighting leader who never let his troops down."

Remains of Capt. Capio will be flown to Baguio via C-130 and later transported to his hometown in Buguias. He will be given a hero's burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani

- PCG and Philstar

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Cordilleran Educator, Francis Jim Tuscano is among the top 50 finalists of the Global Teacher Prize 2017

Photo: globalteacherprize.org

Francis Jim Tuscano, a teacher who came from Abra, is among the 50 shortlisted teachers from across the world in the running for the 2017 Global Teacher Prize.

The Global Teachers Prize was set up to recognize exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession and has shown to the world the important role of teachers in the society Now in its third year, a prize award of $1 million will be given to the winner.

Francis Jim Tuscano was among the 50 lucky educators to be selected from over 20,000 nominations and applications from 179 countries around the world.

In this bio written on the globalteacherprize.org website, Mr Tuscano was known for his studies examining the efficacy of iPad learning. Mr Tuscano believes that using and integrating technology in teaching will deepen the students learning and this proves him true since 94% of his students admitted iPad had helped them in learning.

"His students have demonstrated their improvements in an even more obvious way by becoming published authors, having written about their encounter with the students from the National School for the Blind and published it in the iBooks store," the website says.

One of the most recent achievements of Tuscano is his award from the Pineau-Clifford Educators for being an Outstanding Faculty at his school and was additionally made an Apple Distinguished Educator in 2015.

In 2016, his book on Religious Education was a finalist at the US iBooks author conference for best educational book.

Given the chance to win the prize this year Francis is planning to collaborate with the Department of Education to create a well-structured professional development plan for teachers.

The Global Teacher Prize winner will be announced on Sunday, 19 March.

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Baguio City Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES) will open Jan. 16

The Baguio City Public Employment Service Office will be accepting qualified students for the Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES) 2017 on January 16 at the PESO at the City Hall. The registration will begin from 9 am up to 5 PM on January 16 until February 28. 

The Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES) is a program based on Republic Act No. 7323 which seeks to give poor but deserving students employment during summer and/or Christmas vacation, through incentives granted to employers by the department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)

Qualifications for acceptance for the SPES

1. Must be bona-fide Baguio residents.
2. He/She must be physically fit and must be 15-25 years old at the time of registration.
3. Must be currently enrolled or a student who has not been able to enroll for the past semester/academic year but intending to enroll in the coming semester/academic year.
4. Parents/Guardians annual net income (after tax) do not exceed P116,898 per year. 
5. Have an average passing grade during the last school term attended. 

Documents Needed for registration 

1. Original copy of birth certificate issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority or by the Local Civil Registrar on Baguio. 
2. Original copy of parents/guardian Income Tax Return (ITR) duly filed by the BIR or Certificate of Tax Exemptions issued by the BIR and sworn statement of affidavit if parent/guardians were exempted to paying tax in 2016.
3. High School applicants must present last year's grades for school year 2015-2016 while college and vocational students are requested to present their most recent grades from the first semester of academic year 2017.

NOTE: All documents must be photocopied before submitting at the PESO.

SPES registrants will have to undergo a qualifying exams on March 5, 2017 starting at 8 o'clock AM at the Dona Josefa Elementary School.

There will be a total of 350 qualified SPES trainees who will be given the chance to work and experience government and office works.

- PIA

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Mount Pulag temperature may drop to zero, Trekkers advised to stay in the campsite

The Civil Defense Cordillera has issued an advisory today about the weather condition in Mount Pulag that temperature could drop to zero this week. Trekkers and those who are planning to go hiking are told to bring their proper clothing for cold weather to avoid hypothermia - a medical conditions when body loses heat.

The advisory that was posted on CDR's FB account says, "Trekkers during the weekends are advised to avail the homestay or campsites at the Badadak Village. Temperature may drop to zero any moment especially night time. Please bring proper clothing for cold weather to avoid hypothermia."

Mount Pulag is the third highest mountain in the Philippines, popular for hiking destination because of its "sea of clouds" and its milky-way galaxy scenery that captivated tourist who visit the place.

- CDR

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Baguio cab driver shares blessing by offering free taxi ride.

Cordillera - A taxi driver in Baguio city is offering free rides to commuters as a way of sharing his blessing. 

Raymundo Bersalona, a 55-year-old residence of Asin Road, Baguio City has been a taxi driver for 15 years said offering free ride is a yearly tradition for him. 

Mr. Bersalona's story was made viral by a commuter name Dee Ba Abbara, who posted her experience on Facebook when she happened to ride on Bersalona's taxi. 

According to Abbara, Bersalona didn't charge her for the trip and said he is giving free rides as a way of giving  back to community, ABS CBN reported

"I do this for the glory of God, sa ating Panginoon. Binabalik ko lang yung blessing na pinagkaloob Niya sa akin, dapat lang bawa't isang tao, kung biniyayaan ka ng pagpapala syempre kung meron kang puso na mapagbigay, bigay mo rin para tuloy-tuloy yung biyaya ng Diyos sa'yo," Bersalona said.

What an inspiring story worth of praise for Mr Bersalona. 

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Miss Universe candidates to visit Baguio on January 18, 2017

The highly and eagerly awaited Miss Universe pageant to be held in the Philippines this year will highlight some of the famous spots in the country which include Baguio and Benguet.

The Miss Universe candidates will travel to Baguio for strawberry-picking scheduled on the 18th of January.

Prior to visiting the summer capital of the Philippines, the candidates will first start their 16-day itinerary in Boracay, then they will travel to Vigan on the 15th, Manila on the 16th and in Cebu on the 17th.

The candidates will also have the chance to visit the hometown of President Rodrigo Duterte in Davao City. After that they will be going to Batangas for a beachwear photoshoot on January 19.

The Miss Universe candidates will be arriving in the country starting January 12.

Part of the candidates' activities is to pay a courtesy call to President Duterte on January 23.

The grand coronation night will be held at the Mall of Asia in Pasay City on January 30.

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Endangered Philippine eagle hawk rescued in Wangal, La Trinidad

Cordillera - A man from Benguet rescued a Philippine eagle hawk he found at a barangay hall in Wangal, La Trinidad. 

The Philippine eagle hawk is an endangered species that can be found only in the Philippines. 

The eagle hawk was very weak when a resident Marcelo Carpio from the said barangay found it. The eagle sustained many severe injuries mostly from its head. 

Mr. Carpio immediately turned over it to the authorities of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in La Trinidad. 

According to the DENR, the eagle hawk will be brought to Benguet State University (BSU) for treatment and will be released to Sto. Tomas Forest Reserve after  it recover. 

-abs cbn

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15 houses in Poblacion, Mankayan engulfed by flames, allegedly caused by phone charger

Cordillera - Firefighters reported around 15 residential houses including several business establishment were engulfed by flames in  central town of Mankayan, Benguet, Thursday night.

The fire was reported to have started around 7:00 pm and the fire was later put out around 10:30.

Due to the heavy fire, neighboring fire departments from Cervantes and Bugias, and some water delivery trucks have join in to assist to control the fire from burning more houses.

No one was killed or in serious situation but only minor injuries were reported. Owners and residents of the burned houses has seek a temporary shelter at the municipal hall and in some nearby religious buildings.

A phone charger has been allegedly pointed out as the thing that caused the fire.

Photo of the fire was captured and posted by sir Tirso Gunadan Baday in his FB account.

 

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Only in Baguio: Motorists get free lunch for wearing seat belts

The department of Transportation (DOTr) Cordillera has took a different approach in encouraging motorists to keep their seat belts fastened. 

Instead of punishing them with a fine of P1,000 to P5,000, they give them a free lunch for wearing their seat belts.

According to Atty. Jose Eduardo Natividad, Regional Director of DOTR, traffic enforcers usually stops motorists to check for traffic violation, but this time they flagged down motorist to remind them of the importance of wearing seat belts as well as give them a free lunch, abs cbn news reports

"Whenever motorist see traffic enforcers, they think they're just there to catch violators but in reality they want them to learn." Natividad added.

Many motorist were happy and praised the idea of the DOTr and they are hoping this initiative will set as example to traffic violators. 

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Baguio students discover biofuel derived from taro (Gabi) that can fuel cars

Cordillera - Six students from Saint Louis University (SLU) in the city of Baguio have discovered a cleaner and eco-friendly alternative to petroleum that can fuel cars - this is from taro or locally known as 'gabi'.

The students are Joji Takeoka, John Cyril Paco, Gregory Jones Ochoada, John Paul Galong, and Keanu Verzosa, all students of the said university.

Photo Courtesy || John Cyril Paco

Last October, their invention dubbed as "BIO-GAB" (taken from the word Biofuel and Gabi) won the Business and Idea Development Award (BIDA) given by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce.

Taro (scientific name: Colocasia esculenta) also known as 'gabi' in the Philippines is rich in substances needed in the creation of bioethanol. This plant can grow in almost any type of soil, and highly resistant to floods and drought.

The oil from the taro took the students two weeks to ferment then extract it to process until it become efficient to fuel cars. They tested their invention in a spare engine similar to that of jeepneys and found that it is as effective as other petroleum products commonly used in cars.

According to Ochoada, one of the researchers, taro is rich in carbohydrates and glucose which is the main source bio-ethanol needed to run a car.

"Wild taro is abundant yet inedible crop which is rich in carbohydrates and glucose which are needed to make bio-ethanol. Bio-ethanol is a type of clean fuel that can be used in cars. We tested it in a spare engine similar to that of jeepneys to prevent risk. Fortunately, it worked. The testing center also agreed that it is feasible for engines," Ochoada told Rappler.

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Paco, another member of the group, is hoping that their invention will create a better and safer world to live in and provide jobs to Filipinos.

"We believe that Bio-Gab will potentially revolutionize the industry by providing a product that will minimize the carbon monoxide emission of burning fuel. We also wanted to give back to the community, at the same time by providing jobs in the country, especially in the local areas where poverty and pollution is rampant," Paco said.

Bio- gab is efficient and eco-friendly and it was tested and found out to be effective as other petroleum products commonly found in cars.

The students who invented the bio-gab are planning to secure a patent for their biofuel invention.

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