EDGAR ABANIL BLOG

EARLY DAYS Eureka was just one of the sitios of Barangay Malibud when it was still part of the logging concession of the defunct Anakan Lumber Company (ALCO). The inhabitants of this place were natives called Higaonons. Higaonons were one of the loosely grouped tribes in Northern Mindanao extending as far as Iligan in the West and Agusan Del Sur in the East. Higaonons trace their ancestry to Datu Pabuloson their legendary progenitor from Patag, Tagoloan, the original enclave of the Higaonon tribe. From Patag in Tagoloan the Higaonon people made their trek to the mountains of Misamis Oriental. According to Apo Mandilguhan Ansihagan a Datu of Baliguihan, they were guide by a crow who they thought was the spirit of their ancestor. Whenever the crow alighted and rested on a tree branch, the Higaonons would camp out for several days. Then the bird would hover around their camps, signaling that they should break camp and continue with their sojourn. When they r...

Public office is a public trust. That has been the concept taught by the political pillars. It is embodied in the American constitution. It is adopted by many governments. The core value is: If you are in government, the people own you and you are answerable to the people. Therefore, you must act with utmost industry, prudence, and integrity. You must not corrupt your job by accepting bribes or by gallivanting. You must be deserving of the people's money. Where have public service gone now? Politics of patronage has been ravaging government service since the time the spoils system was employed. "We are now the masters here. Everything we conquer is ours, and it is our will that will be done from now on." How many employees were laid out after a new mayor or governor is elected? In the Philippines there is a term that a month after the elections, when the new officials have been sworn in, the employees, especially the casual ones, is already Tom Jones. What does it mean? E...

I was fortunate enough when I was chosen as one of the principals to undergo an online course entitled Excellence in School Leadership for Southeast Asia (Excels) which focused on Leading Curricular and Instructional Processes. SEAMEO – INNOTECH is the rightful course provider. It is aptly called a flexible course. An e-course this time would attune the school leadership to the Computer Age. It would not require a principal to be out of his school for a long time, attending formal classes. Aside from the scheduled chat sessions, the e-learner is given leeway in uploading his assignments. The learner is given 2 modules to study. The first module is about instructional leadership and the second module is about leading curriculum implementation and enrichment. The program was launched on May 27, 2007 at Xavier University for Region 1`0 learners. However, the formal start keeps on being postponed. After the start of school year 2007-2008 in June, we are...