Awiting Pilipino: Mamang Sorbetero

Tulad noong nakaraang taon, bilang gawaing panapos para sa Buwan ng Wika, ang korong pampaaralan na aking pinamumunuan ay maghahandog ng isang awitin para sa mga mag-aaral ng St. Mary's College of Meycauayan. Sa taong ito ay aawitin nila ang kantang "Mamang Sorbetero".

Ang awiting “Mamang Sorbetero” ay pinasikat ni Celeste Legaspi nang magsimulang sumahimpapawid ito noong katapusan ng dekada 70. Ang himig ng awit na ito ay nilikha ng sikat na mag-aawit at kompositor na si Jose Mari Chan noong 1979 para sa pelikulang “Mamang Sorbetero” na ginampanan ni din Celeste Legaspi at ng dating Pangulong Joseph Estrada bilang isang pelikulang kalahok sa Metro Manila Film Festival. Ngunit alam nyo ba na ang himig o ang melody ng awit na ito ay hango sa isang awiting sinulat din ni Jose Mari Chan noong kalagitnaan ng dekada 70 na pinamagatang “Mr. Songwriter?” Si Gryk Ortaleza, isang sikat na advertiser noong kanyang panahon, ang naglapat ng mga titik sa wikang Tagalog para sa awiting ito. Dahil sa tagumpay ng pelikulang “Mamang Sorbetero”, naging popular ang nasabing kanta kasabay din ng pagsikat ni Celeste bilang isang aktres at mang-aawit.

Noong ika-27 ng Hulyo, 2012, inawit ng Marian Music Ministry ang nasabing kanta sa isang konsyerto na pinangunahan ng Our Lady of Fatima University Chorale na pianagatang "Heal the World: A Night of Chorale Music na ginanap sa Pambansang Dambana ng Mahal na Birhen ng Fatima sa Marulas, Lungsod ng Valenzuela.

August 15 - Bulacan Day

Today, August 15, as the Catholic world commemorates the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Bulaqueños celebreates the foundation of their beloved province, Bulacan. 

Although the foundation year of the province is believed to be in 1578, the first pueblo established in Bulacan is the town of Calumpit which is founded by the Agustinians friars in 1575. Calumpit is also the birthplace of Christianity in the province. It has been said that in 1578 the Augustinian conquered Bulakan (the town, where the name of the province was named after). The Franciscan Friars Juan Plasencia and  Diego de Oropesa also founded Meycauayan on the same year and for a time was the capital of the province of Meycauayan, which is then renamed as province of Bulacan.

Historically speaking, the province played an important role in achieving Philippine Independene. Malolos, its present capital, is the cradle of the First Republic in Asia as the Malolos Constitution and the First Philippine Republic was drafted and ratified in the historic Barasoain Church. The rays of the sun in the present Philippine Flag which symbolize the eight provinces who fought for independence includes Bulacan.

To this day, Bulacan is one of the richest and the second most populated province in the Philippines.

BULACAN: Lalawigan ng mga Bayani, Bulaklak at Magagandang Dilag.

Thoughts on the effects of K-12 Curriculum

Because of the recent changes (changes every now and then) in the Basic education system, we now call freshmen students in the Junior High School as "Seventh Graders." Commonly they are referred to as  Grade 7. And because they were labeled as "graders", they still act like students from the grade school. (My classmates in MA are also airing this out.)

Being a Grade 7 adviser, I could sense that there's a lot of difference from the first year students whom I have handled four years ago. My students this year are very childlike, some are even childish! Students I am handling are very difficult to control in terms of behavior and discipline."Konting kibo't, daldal" as the Filipino phrase states. I think their behavior were affected by the term "grader" branded to them. They still think that since they are called as Grade Seven, it is ok to act like a child. And this is true to all sections from that level. Teachers in our level are having difficulty on how to solve discipline problems.

If only DepEd sensed this one before the K-12 implementation.