Haizel Charm

  Binatbatan was introduced in 2002 as part of a celebration honoring the Abel Iloco hand-loom weaving industry. It is celebrated yearly from the last week of April to the first week of May. The festival's name comes from the word "batbat," which refers to the first step in the weaving process, in which the cotton balls are separated from the seeds by beating them with two bamboo sticks for Abel. During this period of pandemic, there have been several changes to the celebration of the Binatbatan Festival. The celebration has been different from our tradition in recent years. We are unable to form crowds or close contact with individuals in order to avoid contracting and spreading the illness. However, because of the low and declining instances of the covid-19 virus, Binatbatan can be celebrated this year. Fortunately, it is now returning to the usual world to which we are accustomed. Biguenos and even tourists and visitors from other towns are now welcome to attend th...

  Woman. When you hear or see the term "woman," what is the first thing that comes to mind? Some people may immediately think of the word "weak." A woman, on the other hand, can be a wife, a partner, an organizer, a manager, a director, a creator, a disburser, an economist, a mother, a disciplinarian, a teacher, a health officer, an actor, and so on. Furthermore, women have a vital part in society's socio-economic development. The majority of women work, whether paid or unpaid. The majority of them work, either at home raising children and running a household, or as employees in the workplace. Women's abilities, talents, ingenuity, vision, and leadership are required to address the world's most pressing issues, ranging from climate change to economic recovery. The response to COVID-19 was also largely female-dominated. They have made significant contributions to efforts to reduce infection numbers and position their countries for economic recovery. Now I...

  During World War II, when the Philippines was invaded by the Japanese, this marked the "Araw ng Kagitingan" which commemorates the heroic act of Filipinos and American soldiers. The battle of Bataan was the most intensive phase of the Japanese invasion of the Philippines during World War II, and there happened the largest army under American command ever to surrender, with 76,000 Filipino and American troops. Major General Edward P. King of the United States Army was compelled to surrender more than 76,000 Filipinos, Chinese, and American soldiers to the Japanese before dawn on April 9, 1942, and many of our fellow Filipinos suffered and died as a result. The soldiers were ordered to travel 90 miles to San Fernando's Camp O'Donnell. Thousands of inmates died from malnutrition, thirst, and infections before reaching the camp during the hike (also known as the Bataan Death March). However, despite the defeat and suffering, the captive soldiers remained strong and em...

       Lent begins on Ash Wednesday each year and ends 46 days before Easter Sunday. It is a month of penitential preparation for Easter in the Christian church. It is celebrated in commemoration of Jesus Christ's fasting in the wilderness before beginning his public ministry. Lent encourages Christians to fast for some time each year, marking a deliberate season of reflection on Christ's life, ministry, sacrifice, and resurrection. But how did we celebrate this season now that we are still encouraged to stay at home because of the pandemic?      On the first day of Lent, which is Ash Wednesday, many went to receive ashes on their head. When the pandemic started, the imposition of ashes on the forehead is not allowed but since cases here have decreased, some places have allowed it.   So, when one receives the ash, he or she should let this “catch the eyes of our minds, so that as we close our eyes, God may speak to us heart to heart.”  ...

      Kannawidan is a festival in the province of Ilocos Sur which commemorates the separation of the two Ilocos provinces. It is a celebration that lasts from the last week of January up to the first week of February. This celebration features cultural performances, religious rites, and cookery demonstrations showcasing the best of Ilocano cuisine. Kannawidan is a series of activities aiming at celebrating life and sharing joy. Fiestas and celebrations are returning as the Philippines begins to recover from the impacts of the Covid-19 outbreak.   Kannawidan 2022, a series of activities aiming at celebrating life and sharing joy, was officially launched by the province administration of Ilocos Sur earlier this month.       There are always activities held at the Kannawidan festival. Everyone anticipates every event and contests, particularly the fireworks display, the streetdancing contests, the opening of the trade show and the pageant "Saniata ti Il...

     In this second quarter, we learned about HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) which is used in creating web pages and applications. It was just like codes that you type which made it fun to learn. I learned about the tags, elements, attributes and more. It was easy and not that difficult to learn. We still post on our blog about specific themes and I like it.      I may have had issues like when I can’t understand the instructions and tutorials, but I think I did great with the activities and tasks as I took time to fully understand the lesson. There was a time I got sick and that was really hard as I have to just lie in bed all day long. I didn’t even start anything at that time and that made me nervous that I couldn’t stop worrying. But I got better the other day and I still managed to do all the tasks and activities that was required.      Moving on, I will do better again next Quarter and I will do my best just like what I ...

       Vigan City Fiesta is celebrated every January 25 th and it is held in honor to St. Paul Apostle, the city’s patron saint. Fiesta has been part of our culture as Filipinos that we celebrate as one. There were many activities and contests like street dancing, there were parades, carnivals, food fairs, and locals and tourist gather to celebrate this event. We used to freely celebrate without any rules and restrictions. But when the COVID-19 pandemic started, celebrating these events is really hard as there are lots of consequences in celebrating and interacting with many people.      When the pandemic started in the early 2020, it affected many aspects of our culture like our celebration of Fiesta’s in our town/city and for us Ilocano’s, Vigan City Fiesta has been with us for years and it was devastating to not be able to celebrate it like we used to when the pandemic came. We celebrated this last year via online but that didn’t feel t...