MPIC Volunteers Give Mano Amiga Teachers a Day Off

In celebration of Teachers’ Day, employees from Metropacific Investment Corp (MPIC) decided to give the Mano Amiga faculty a much deserved vacation by volunteering to be teachers for the day.

Held annually, the Mano Amiga Teachers’ Day OFF celebration gives partners and donors a chance to step into the Mano Amiga teachers’ shoes and to immerse in the school’s learning environment.

The theme for this year’s event is “Going Around the World: Exploring different cultures.” The MPIC volunteers prepared different games and performances to introduce the students to the history, traditions, and holidays of various countries. Activities include flamenco dancing, Origami making, storytelling, and trivia quizzes. The students also had the chance to sample famous dishes from Japan, China, and Spain.

“It is heartwarming to see all the hard work that MPIC employees put into making this a fun and enriching experience for the Mano Amiga students,” Mano Amiga Development Director Lynn Pinugu said. “Through this event, they have demonstrated their commitment to the community. The Mano Amiga faculty and I find their level of enthusiasm and spirit very inspiring.”

Mano Amiga Patronato Member named Ambassador to Spain

Regnum Christi member and Mano Amiga Patronato Carlos Salinas was appointed as the new Philippine ambassador to Spain. He was nominated to the post by President Benigno Aquino III last November, which was immediately confirmed by the Commission on Appointments.

Mr. Salinas founded the Philippine Transmarine Carriers, Inc., a maritime company that employs thousands of seafarers every year and is considered as one of the Philippines' largest crew management firms. He served as chairman of the Filipino Shipowners Association and was also a former board member for both the Maritime Industry Authority and the World Maritime University in Sweden.

In the send-off dinner hosted by the Regnum Christi Men's section, Mr. Salinas shared his plans to learn from the success of Spain's tourism industry and to use it as a model for the Philippines.

Before leaving for Madrid, Mr. Salinas gave a three-year scholarship to the Mano Amiga student he has been supporting for the past two years, to ensure that the child continues to receive a good education even while he's out of the country.

Mano Amiga Academy holds first Quiz Bee

Thirty students joined the recently held 2011 Mano Amiga Quiz Bee. The Quiz Bee tested the students' knowledge on different topics from five subjects namely, Science, Math, Catholic Formation, Language Arts and Reading.

"The Quiz Bee participants and the parents spent a great deal preparing for this event and their efforts were rewarded by the students' enthusiastic participation in the competition and their evident mastery of the topic," Mano Amiga Principal Revelyn Tria-Siasoyco said.

Three students from Prep and Grade 1 emerged as Quiz bee winners. Each student received a plaque of recognition from the school.

Grade 1:1st Place: Zycareine Benigay, 2nd Place: Ariane Camingue, 3rd Place: Daisy May Nieva

Prep:1st Place: Arzel Sumalindog, 2nd Place: Nicole Cruz, 3rd Place: Sheryl Gerarcas

"We will certainly hold similar activities in the future because it is a fun and effective way of reinforcing what the children have learned in class," Ms. Tria-Siasyoco added.

In His Shoes

Jamir Pangilinan, 5

Prep student

Jamir is a playful and inquisitive young boy. But because his mother had no job, she didn’t know how she would be able to provide him with an education.

Thanks to Mano Amiga Academy, who took on the five-year- old as one of its scholars, his life has changed. It is something Jamir is fully aware of even at a very tender age. “In the school, they teach me to become smart — especially in reading,” he explains. “They also teach me how to be good and to do the right thing.” Today the mischievous boy who used to get into fights and pester his mother tries his best to help his family and peers. Since the foundation has also found a job for his mother, they have money to eat daily meals.

Jamir loves that his family is now happy and that he enjoys so many fascinating experiences. He is most inspired when he learns new things on field trips and on Saturdays when the foundation’s volunteers hold activities and help out at the community center.

His dream “I want to become a policeman because they are kind and they help other people.”

His favorite shoes “My rubber shoes. I play football in them, and wear them during our field trips. Once we went to Enchanted Kingdom and to the zoo. I’ve been to so many places in my shoes!”

This is an excerpt from the Smile Magazine December feature, entitled "In Their Shoes". For the full article, please visit: http://www.cebusmile.com/2010/12/01/in-their-shoes/

The Mano Amiga students' magic voyage

For most of us, going to the theater to watch a movie is something so ingrained in our daily routine that we no longer consider the experience as something out of the ordinary. For children from poor families however, watching a movie is a luxury they could only dream of.

As a Christmas treat to the kids, Living Dreams Philippines organized a special movie screening of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the third installment of the C.S. Lewis' Narnia series. For the students, just the experience of stepping inside a movie house was already a magic voyage in itself.

Upon entering the cinema, most of the students ran excitedly with the volunteers to choose their seats. Some of the younger children were initially scared of the dark theater but immediately got over their fear as they played with the cushioned chairs. Before the movie started, some of the students kept leaving their seat to go closer to the movie screen and admire the "giant TV."

For two and a half hours, the Mano Amiga students explored C.S. Lewis' world of magical creatures, scenic islands, and never-ending adventures. It sparked the students' curiosity, fed their imagination, and taught them important values. After the movie, the children excitedly chatted with the volunteers about the new things they learned, particularly the characters they met and new places they discovered.

Before saying goodbye, the children performed a song to thank the volunteers for the day's adventure. The experience was truly a magic voyage they would not easily forget.