#WalangPasok: Class, work suspensions on Monday, October 30, 2017

MANILA, Philippines - Some local government units announced class and work suspensions for Monday, October 30, 2017, ahead of the nationwide holidays on October 31 and November 1.

The local declaration gives more time for the families to prepare for the observance of All Saints Day and All Souls' Day (Undas 2017).

On Sunday night, Manila Mayor Joseph Ejercito Estrada announced that classes in all levels, public and private, as well as work in all government offices have been suspended on October 30 (Monday).

The announcement excludes the departments of the City of Manila which are in charge of health, engineering, traffic, disaster management and public services. In addition, Estrada added that suspension of work in private offices will be at the discretion of their management.

Check out list of areas and schools where classes and work have been suspended for Monday, October 30, 2017 (refresh page for the updates):

• City of Manila – all levels, public and private (includes government work, see details above)

Note: This is a developing story. Help us crowdsource class suspensions by sharing in the comments section or tweeting @mysummitexpress.

— The Summit Express

UNESCO, DTI, and CHED push innovative entrepreneurship education

MANILA, Philippines - The youth will play a crucial role in the future of the country’s economy with 70 percent of the Philippine population aged below 30. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) recognizes by identifying young entrepreneurs as the nation’s hope. However, reforms must be made in the educational system to help them reach their full potential. “If we want to make smarter entrepreneurs, we should start by changing the mindset of the young through the establishment of entrepreneurship education,” Sec. Ramon Lopez, Chairperson of the DTI said.

CHED Chair, Dr. Patricia B. Licuanan (center) with (from lef)t Senior Program Coordinator for the Women and Gender Institute of Miriam College Prof. Aurora De Dios, Miriam College President Dr. Rosario O. Lapus and Educational Innovation and Skills Development (EISD) UNESCO APEID Bangkok Chief Mr. Libing Wang, and 6th UNESCO APEID Meeting on Entrepreneurship Education Chair, Dr. Antonio M. Lopez.

Sec. Lopez posed this challenge at the 6th UNESCO-APEID (Asia-Pacific Programme of Educational Innovation for Development) Meeting on Entrepreneurship Education held in Manila. The three-day conference brought together delegates, educators, and policy makers from UNESCO, DTI, and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to discuss how to advance youth entrepreneurship in the Asia-Pacific region.

In his keynote speech, Sec. Lopez stressed the importance of collaboration among nations to progress as a collective: “This meeting is an opportunity for our countries to learn from each other in advancing entrepreneurship education in our society.”

He specified the steps needed to achieve this goal and highlighted the importance of the youth’s role in national development. “The way to foster an entrepreneurial mindset is establishing a more advanced ecosystem, policies, and programs for competence building. That is what this meeting is all about: establishing an innovative entrepreneurship education that would reshape the mindset of the youth towards the journey of entrepreneurship,” Sec. Lopez said.

Sec. Lopez added: “Our young entrepreneurs can help create stability and drive sustainable development via economic growth, employment generation, innovation, and poverty alleviation.”

Here are some insights from this year’s UNESCO-APEID Meeting:

Creating policies aligned with ASEAN’s developmental goals

To be aligned with ASEAN’s developmental goals, government policies must be formed to support young entrepreneurs and their businesses. The approval of Republic Act No. 10679, also known as the Youth Entrepreneurship Act, was a step forward in this direction. “With this law, government agencies like DTI, CHED, the Department of Education (DepEd), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) are obliged to develop and promote entrepreneurship and financial literacy among the youth,” Sec. Lopez said.

Better equipped universities

In order to set a strong foundation for future business owners, universities must have the necessary tools for educating them. CHED Chairperson Dr. Patrcia Licuanan addressed this need in her speech: “All institutions offering BS Entrepreneurship must be able to provide a business incubation facility that must be equipped with a business center that provides students access to conference rooms, computer units with internet, telephone lines, facsimiles and the like.”

Technopreneurship

Part of CHED’s efforts in preparing future entrepreneurs is to form them into tech-savvy individuals through the implementation of a mandatory 3-unit elective on Technopreneurship included in the New General Education Curriculum that takes effect in 2018. “In early 2015, CHED inked a memorandum of understanding with the Philippine S&T Devolopment Foundation Manila Inc. (PhilDev S&T) with the goal of producing Filipino engineers who can transform their ideas and innovations into economic enterprises,” Dr. Licuanan explained.

Empowering women

Dr. Licuanan’s speech highlighted the opportunity to further support the vital role of women in economic development. “An international study on entrepreneurship revealed that 70 percent of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) start-ups in the Philippines are led by women,” she stated.

— The Summit Express

2017 PBA Rookie Draft: Standhardinger officially joins SMB for the top pick

MANILA, Philippines - As expected, Christian Standhardinger was chosen number 1 overall pick by San Miguel Beermen (SMB) in the 2017 PBA Rookie Draft event on October 29 at Robinson’s Place Manila.

Christian Standhardinger joins San Miguel Beermen for the 1st overall pick. Photo Credit: Philstar

Prior to the start of Ginebra-Meralco sudden death Game 7, Commissioner Chito Narvasa approved the proposed trade between Kia and SMB where the Beermen will have the 1st pick of this year’s Rookie Draft while Picanto will have Rashawn McCarthy, Jay-R Reyes, Ronald Tubid and SMB’s 2019 1st Round Pick.

The trade garnered different reactions from the fans and some of the PBA players. Even the approver, Commissioner Narvasa himself didn’t avoid the criticism. But newly appointed Team Manager, Joe Lipa, defended the team’s decision on letting go of their precious pick to fortify Kia Picanto in the league’s standing.

Lipa stated that 3 players are better than one and a single player can’t make the team better. He also highlighted his new players’ strength specifically Jay-R Reyes, a big man who can run and score from the outside.

As the annual Philippine basketball event started, Commissioner Chito Narvasa has officially opened the 2017 Rookie Draft and the San Miguel Beermen has officially picked the 6’8” Fil-German Christian Standhardinger.

Standhardinger has proven himself to be a top scorer and tough defender during his Gilas Pilipinas tenure. Playing alongside with the 4-time MVP June Mar Fajardo will give SMB another chance to win more titles. However, Christian Standhardinger will not be available this coming All-Filipino Cup as he has just signed a 6-month contract for the Hong Kong Eastern Long Lions in the ABL.

NLEX Road Warriors on the other hand selected King Eagle Kiefer Ravena. During the the Governor’s Cup eliminations, Coach Yeng Guiao expressed his intention to get Ravena that will bring depth to his backcourt.

On pick number 3, Blackwater Elite opted for a big men in person of Reymar Jose who will complement its current center Poy Eram.

Jason Perkins went to Phoenix Fuel Masters at the 4th pick. While Alaska Aces chose Jeron Teng at the 5th spot. Perkins and Teng both played for De La Salle University and won a championship together. Jeron Teng who’s a legit scorer, will definitely help the Aces improve their standing come Philippine Cup opener next month.

PBA D-Leaguer Robert Herndon Jr. was selected by Globalport Batang Pier at the 6th pick and Rain Or Shine obtained Letran Knight Rey Nambatac for pick number 7.

For the 2nd time and for the 8th pick, Phoenix Fuel Masters chose a big man: Sidney Onwubere who stands at 6’5”. The former Emilio Aguinaldo General is expected to bring more firepower to his new team.

Lervin Flores went straight to Star Hot Shots for pick number 9. Coach Chito Victolero opted for a big man who can back-up veteran Jean Marc Pingris and Ian Sangalang.

Unheralded Mark Tallo joins TNT Jayson Castro and Roger Pogoy in the backcourt while 6’5” Jon Gabriel joins Moala Tautuaa and Kelly Williams in the front court for the 10th and 11th pick respectively.

Governors Cup Champions Barangay Ginebra picked former UP Maroon and gunner Jett Manuel for the last pick of the 1st round.

Surprisingly a handful of notable draftees went teamless on the 1st round. The likes of Davon Potts, Julian Sargent, Biboy Enguio and Joseph Gabayni were still hopeful to be on any team come 2nd round.

Here’s the summary of 2nd, 3rd and 4th round picks:

Second Round:

1st Pick - John Grospe (NLEX Road Warriors)
2nd Pick - Joseph Gabayni (Star Hotshots)
3rd Pick - Emil Palma (Blackwater Elite)
4th Pick - Julian Sargent (Star Hotshots)
5th Pick - Louie Vigil (San Miguel Beermen)
6th Pick - Davon Potts (Alaska Aces)
7th Pick - Jomari Sollano (Rain Or Shine)
8th Pick - Gwynne Capacio (Star Hotshots)
9th Pick - Jayson Grimaldo (Phoenix Fuel Masters)
10th Pick - Monbert Arong (TNT Ka-Tropa)
11th Pick - Wilson Baltazar (Phoenix Fuel Masters)
12th Pick - Andreas Cahilig (Globalport Batang Pier)

Third Round:

1st Pick - Chris De Chavez (Kia Picanto)
2nd Pick - Gabriel Dagangon (NLEX Road Warriors)
3rd Pick - Biboy Enguio (Blackwater Elite)
4th Pick - Roldan Sara (Phoenix Fuel Masters)
5th Pick - Zachary Nicholls (Globalport Batang Pier)
6th Pick - Pass (Alaska Aces)
7th Pick - Michael Juico (Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters)
8th Pick - Jebb Bulawan (Meralco Bolts)
9th Pick - Thomas Torres (Star Hotshots)
10th Pick - Dave Moralde (TNT Ka-Tropa)
11th Pick - Jerome Ortega (San Miguel Beermen)
12th Pick - Elmer Cabahug (Barangay Ginebra)

Fourth Round:

1st Pick - Arvie Bringas (Kia Picanto)
2nd Pick - Felix Apreku Jr. (NLEX Road Warriors)
3rd Pick - Kyle Neypes (Blackwater Elite)
4th Pick - John Casino (Phoenix Fuel Masters)
5th Pick - Gian Abrigo (Globalport Batang Pier)
6th Pick - Pass (Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters)
7th Pick - Pass (Meralco Bolts)
8th Pick - Pass (Star Hotshots)
9th Pick - Pass (TNT Ka-Tropa)
10th Pick - Joseph Nalos (San Miguel Beermen)
11th Pick - Pass (Barangay Ginebra)

Fifth Round:

1st Pick - Christian Geronimo (Kia Picanto)
2nd Pick - Pass
3rd Pick - Jhon Sumido (Blackwater Elite)

Among the 44 draft hopefuls, Jeremiah Dela Pena was the only draftee who was not selected. The Rookies will undergo rigorous training under their new teams and will fight for roster spots that will ensure them long-term contracts.

— Joey Boy Capos, The Summit Express