My pet teacher

Can you still recall the name of your teacher who you considered your most favorite throughout your entire school life?

He or she must have had a great influence in your growing up and development from childhood to adulthood.

Many of us may have forgotten their names, but not the goodness and caring they showed us in our growing years.

Perhaps we should not forget their names, if only for the confidence and the feeling of security they provided us while we were in school.

Well, there are efforts to make sure we don’t forget our beloved Filipino teachers through the National Teachers’ Month.

A look back at these efforts would tell us that in 2008, inspired by the celebration of World Teachers’ Day on Oct. 5 of every year which was declared by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Br. Armin Luistro, then president of De La Salle University, together with Metrobank Foundation Inc., president Aniceto Sobrepeña, spearheaded the Teachers' Month Campaign (TMC).

The campaign got a much-needed shot in the arm when former president Benigno S. Aquino III issued Presidential Proclamation 242, declaring the period from Sept. 5 to Oct. 5 of every year as National Teachers’ Month. Thus, the campaign was re-launched as National Teachers’ Month (NTM), with a NTM Coordinating Council — composed of various government agencies, educational institutions, private companies and non-government organizations, all sharing the advocacy of appreciating teachers through various unique initiatives.

Another milestone for the movement was the signing of Republic Act 10743 in January 2016, which officially designates NTM’s culminating activity on Oct. 5 as National Teachers’ Day.

The National Teachers’ Month aims to engage the public in appreciating the contributions of Filipino teachers and the nobility of the teaching profession. The NTM Council spearheads the conduct of activities aimed at generating awareness and expressions of gratitude through various means. This is one step towards the long-term goal of this advocacy: to create a strong movement that cultivates a Filipino culture that celebrates all teachers’ service and heroism.

So, who was your favorite teacher when you were in school?

If you can still remember his or her name and possibly how to get in touch, a brief message of gratitude would go a long, long way for your “pet teacher” to realize “it was really all worth it.”

Growth in reverse?

We got wind of a proposed measure of the government to import Euro 2 diesel “as a fuel option for the public to reduce the impact of rising petroleum prices in the world market.”

Our sources in the local oil industry view this approach as “growth in reverse” considering that we have laws that dictate the country’s scheduled mandated use of the kinds of fuels to meet emission requirements. Besides it would defeat the purpose of the measure of mitigating rising fuel prices as switching to imported Euro 2 diesel would require oil companies to invest in additional equipment to process the fuel, the cost of which would subsequently be passed on to the motorists.

Word has it that some members of Congress have asked for the suspension and revision of the government order considering the confusion that it has caused.   

Some oil industry observers were heard saying, “Any more bright ideas?”

Wanted – real estate in Luzon

People in the real estate business are looking forward to a possible increased demand for land intended for industrial use in Central and Northern Luzon.

This could be spurred by ongoing infrastructure projects and those in the blueprint being initiated by the government such as the expansion of the Clark Airport, Subic-Clark cargo railway and the North Luzon Expressway – South Luzon Expressway connector.

The expansion of the Clark airport is expected to bring the airport’s capacity to 12 million passengers a year by 2020 from four million at present.

Through the Subic-Clark cargo railway, which would connect Subic Port and Clark International Airport, the currently underutilized Subic Port would be maximized and the Manila Port is expected to be decongested.

The NLEX-SLEX connector road, which would cut travel time between major industrial hubs Clark in Pampanga and Calamba in Laguna from three hours to one hour and 40 minutes, would also benefit manufacturers with industrial facilities in both Central and Southern Luzon.

To capture the interest of firms looking for industrial space outside the Cavite-Laguna-Batangas region, developers with industrial space in Pampanga and Tarlac are being encouraged to speed up the completion of necessary public works such as roads.

Mabuhay!!! Be proud to be a Filipino.

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