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By Michael B. Jaucian LIGAO CITY --- A record surge in sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emissions from Mayon Volcano has heightened the possibility of a more explosive eruption, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) warned on Saturday. Mayon emitted an average of 13,128 metric tons of volcanic SO₂ per day on July 11, based on campaign ultraviolet spectrometry measurements conducted by Phivolcs. The agency said the emission rate was the highest recorded from the volcano in the past 26 years and was only slightly below the levels observed during Mayon's explosive eruption in 2000. Mayon remains under Alert Level 3 and has been in a state of continuous eruption for 187 days. __________________________________________________________________________________ LATE BREAKER A short-lived lava fountaining was observed at the summit crater of Mayon Volcano on Monday afternoon, July 13. The lava fountaining, recorded from 3:25 p.m. to 3:27 p.m., was captured on video by the Quick Response Team of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) and the Mayon Volcano Observatory. Phivolcs said Mayon has now been exhibiting effusive eruptive activity for the 189th consecutive day, producing incandescent lava flows, pyroclastic density currents (PDCs), locally known as uson, and rockfalls. Earlier in the day, between 6:31 a.m. and 6:46 a.m., the volcano generated another pyroclastic density current. Alert Level 3 remains in effect over Mayon Volcano, and entry into the six-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) is still prohibited. Mayon continues to emit pyroclastic density current. Mayon, one of the country’s most active volcanoes, has been in sustained eruptive activity for months already, with monitoring continuing around the clock for any signs of changes in its behavior. Over the weekend, Phivolcs warned that the record surge in sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from Mayon Volcano has raised the possibility of a more explosive eruption. Kurt Dela Peña/Inquirer __________________________________________________________________________________ Mayor Daniel Jose “Nookie” Bombales said residents experienced thin ashfall Saturday afternoon as strong winds and rains associated with the enhanced southwest monsoon and Typhoon Inday affected the area. The local government and police distributed face masks to residents in affected communities on Friday night. Bombales urged residents to wear face masks when going outdoors and to keep windows and doors closed whenever possible. In its Saturday bulletin, Phivolcs reported 10 volcanic earthquakes, 241 rockfall events, and six pyroclastic density current signals. The agency also observed continuing lava flows that extended about 3.8 kilometers along the Basud Gully, 3.2 kilometers along the Bonga Gully, and 2.1 kilometers along the Mi-isi Gully. Phivolcs said the spike in SO₂ emissions coincided with intensified volcanic activity, including 97 low-frequency volcanic earthquakes associated with volcanic degassing, minor Strombolian activity at the summit crater, and 304 rockfall events caused by the collapse of newly emplaced lava flows as of 8 p.m. Saturday. Despite the increased activity, the agency said monitoring data showed only slight inflation of the volcanic edifice and a modest increase in overall seismic energy, conditions still consistent with the effusive eruption that has characterized Mayon since the onset of its 2026 unrest. However, Phivolcs warned that the exceptionally high SO₂ emissions could indicate a shift in eruptive behavior and may “even lead to an explosive eruption.” Such an event, the agency said, could generate larger and farther-reaching pyroclastic density currents on all sectors of the volcano, hurl ballistic rock fragments from the summit crater, and produce more widespread ashfall. The impacts, it added, could be worsened by prevailing adverse weather conditions. (With reports from Ma. April Mier-Manjares - @inquirerdotnet) MAYON VOLCANO

By Paulo DS. Papa FORMER Naga City mayor and now Camarines Sur’s 3rd district representative Nelson Legacion has maintained that the construction of the Naga City General Hospital's Outpatient Department (OPD) building complied with existing laws and regulations. Earlier, Mayor Leni Robredo disclosed that the construction of the hospital's OPD building had been completed without a soil test report, quoting the statement made by an engineer who was among those who inspected the government facility. City Legal Officer Atty. Angel Ojastro said that a soil test is a mandatory requirement for certain infrastructure projects under Presidential Decree No. 1096, or the National Building Code of the Philippines. He added that public officials responsible for projects that fail to comply with applicable legal requirements may face administrative and criminal charges. On Monday, July 13, Legacion, who proposed the OPD project during his term as mayor, said that under Section 302, Paragraph C of the National Building Code, only buildings with more than three floors are required to have a soil test. He also cited Section 24 of City Ordinance No. 1997-081, or the Revised Building Code of the City of Naga, which likewise requires a soil test only for buildings with four or more floors. According to Legacion, buildings with only one or two floors are not required to undergo a soil test before construction. Meanwhile, Robredo clarified that her statement regarding the OPD project was based on the findings of the inspection conducted by the Project Monitoring Committee at the hospital. She said similar inspections will also be conducted on other existing and completed projects in the city as part of her responsibility as mayor, regardless of whether such actions may offend some individuals. The OPD project was authorized for funding under City Ordinance No. 2021-041, which was enacted on June 1, 2021. Construction was completed around the third quarter of 2023. As of this writing, the exact cost of the OPD building remains unclear. However, the construction of the entire hospital was funded under City Ordinance No. 2023-070 through a ₱350-million loan from the Development Bank of the Philippines and ₱150 million from local or external funding sources.

By Jason B. Neola IRIGA CITY --- As it prepares to celebrate its 80th anniversary in February 2027, the University of Saint Anthony (USANT) is reaffirming its commitment to placing the welfare of its students, faculty members, and employees at the center of its development strategy. USANT President Atty. Emmanuel “Mickey” Ortega said the university’s “people-first philosophy” has enabled the institution to provide quality yet affordable private education while investing heavily in the well-being and professional growth of its workforce. Among the university’s major infrastructure projects is the Santiago D. Ortega Jr. Memorial Library, a modern four-story academic facility scheduled to open next year. The new library is expected to accommodate more than 1,000 students, faculty members, and staff at any given time, providing dedicated spaces for learning, research, collaboration, and innovation. Ortega emphasized that outstanding teachers and competent employees are key to producing successful graduates. “If teachers and employees are well taken care of, they are able to bring out the best in their students,” he said. The university’s investment in its personnel has coincided with impressive academic results. USANT posted a 100-percent passing rate in several licensure examinations, including Nursing, Accountancy, Criminology, Elementary Education, Architecture, and Librarianship. Engineering and Secondary Education graduates likewise registered a 90-percent passing rate, significantly exceeding national averages in several examinations. As a non-profit educational institution, USANT reinvests its earnings into faculty salaries, campus improvements, scholarships, and academic programs instead of distributing profits to shareholders. One of Ortega's first initiatives upon assuming the university presidency in 2022 was increasing employee salaries. Last November, the university’s board of trustees approved a salary adjustment that raised the minimum five-day weekly salary of its lowest-paid employees—including janitors and carpenters—to P12,000 higher than Iriga City’s prevailing minimum wage equivalent of P9,570. Today, USANT has grown into the largest private employer in the Rinconada-speaking region of Camarines Sur, employing 771 personnel, an 81-percent increase from three years ago. The university also continues to invest heavily in employee development. This year alone, employees completed nearly 19,000 hours of training, averaging 24.64 hours per employee, supported by a training budget of P6.39 million. Training covered digital literacy, artificial intelligence, mental health awareness, and international benchmarking activities in Indonesia, Vietnam, and Japan. Career advancement is likewise encouraged within the institution. Between 2023 and 2025, 262 employees—equivalent to 33.98 percent of the workforce—received promotions, while nearly half of executive positions were filled internally. USANT also provides flexible work arrangements, extended Christmas breaks, summer allowances, sports activities, personal loans for laptop purchases, and low-interest loans for medical emergencies to help employees maintain work-life balance. The university demons-trated its commitment to employee welfare during Tropical Storm Kristine, extending cash assistance, early release of 13th-month pay, salary continuity during class suspensions, relief goods, tuition assistance for affected students, and trauma counseling for employees and learners. USANT likewise supports employees' families through its scholarship program, “Serbisyo Niyo, Kinabukasan ng Anak Niyo,” which grants up to 100-percent tuition assistance to qualified children of employees. This school year, 123 children of employees are benefiting from scholarships and tuition discounts, up from 68 beneficiaries in the previous academic year. Beyond campus, USANT continues its community outreach through its “Alay sa Kapwa: A Chance to Change Lives” program, which reached about 750 families last year with approximately P855, 000 in Christmas assistance. According to Ortega, investing in employees ultimately benefits students. “When we invest in the children of our staff, we build stronger families and better schools. Care is not a cost; it's a strategy,” he said. Looking ahead, Ortega said the university intends to sustain its gains by producing more national board examination topnotchers, strengthening on-the-job training programs, and improving graduate employability while continuing to prioritize the welfare of its academic community. ARTIST’S PERSPECTIVE of the Santiago D. Ortega Jr. Memorial Library, a four-story academic facility rising inside the campus of the University of St. Anthony in Iriga City. Scheduled to open next year, the modern library will accommodate more than 1,000 students, faculty members, and staff at a time, providing dedicated spaces for learning, research, collaboration, and innovation. USANT Photo

THE relentless heat wave scorching the United Kingdom is not just another summer story. It is another unmistakable alarm from a planet that is steadily becoming less forgiving because of humanity’s neglect of the environment. For generations, Britain has been known for its mild weather. Yet today, temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius have become increasingly common. Rivers and reservoirs are shrinking. Hosepipe bans are being enforced. Grasslands have turned into tinderboxes, fuelling wildfires that have disrupted transportation and threatened communities. Hospitals and emergency responders are under pressure. Even more tragic, lives have been lost as people sought relief from the oppressive heat. These are not random events. They are part of a growing pattern witnessed across the globe. Record-breaking heat waves in Europe, devastating floods in Asia, prolonged droughts in Africa, massive wildfires in North America and Australia, and stronger, more destructive tropical cyclones are all reminders that the Earth's climate is changing before our very eyes. Nor is Britain alone in facing this crisis. Across the Atlantic, more than 44 million Americans have been placed under heat wave warnings as temperatures in parts of the United States are expected to soar to as high as 43 degrees Celsius. The scorching conditions have fueled massive wildfires in Colorado and Utah, while threatening to shatter long-standing temperature records in several states. In Europe, Western nations have also endured unprecedented heat, with the World Health Organization reporting that more than 1,300 people died during the recent heat wave. Even iconic landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower have shortened operating hours as France struggled through yet another episode of extreme temperatures. These events are not isolated weather anomalies. They are part of a disturbing global pattern. Scientists have consistently warned that while no single heat wave can be attributed solely to climate change, the continued burning of coal, oil, and natural gas has increased greenhouse gas emissions, making heat waves more frequent, longer-lasting, and more intense. The evidence is no longer confined to scientific studies—it is unfolding across continents, affecting millions of lives and placing entire communities at risk. Scientists have repeatedly warned that while no single weather event can be blamed solely on climate change, human activities are making extreme weather more frequent, more intense, and more destructive. The evidence is overwhelming. The warnings are no longer confined to scientific journals—they are unfolding in our cities, our farms, our coastlines, and our communities. Humanity has treated nature as though it existed merely to satisfy endless consumption. Forests have been cleared, fossil fuels burned without restraint, rivers polluted, oceans choked with plastic, and wildlife habitats destroyed. For decades, economic gain has too often taken precedence over environmental stewardship. Nature is now sending us the bill. If the world's richest and most technologically advanced nations are struggling under unprecedented heat, then no country—including the Philippines—is immune. We have experienced our own share of deadly typhoons, severe flooding, prolonged droughts, and extreme heat. These disasters should convince us that climate change recognizes neither borders nor economic status. This is why protecting the environment can no longer be treated as an optional advocacy reserved for environmentalists. It must become a way of life. Governments must enforce stronger environmental laws, protect forests and watersheds, invest in renewable energy, and prepare communities for climate-related disasters. Businesses must embrace sustainable practices instead of sacrificing the environment for short-term profits. But governments and corporations cannot do it alone. Every citizen has a responsibility. We can conserve water, reduce waste, avoid single-use plastics, plant and nurture trees, protect our rivers and coastlines, support clean energy, and teach our children that caring for nature is a responsibility—not a choice. Every act of environmental stewardship, no matter how small, contributes to a healthier and more resilient planet. The heat wave gripping the United Kingdom is not merely Britain's problem. It is humanity's warning. It tells us that the Earth has limits and that those limits are being pushed dangerously close. History will judge this generation not by how many warnings we received, but by how we responded to them. The time for complacency has long passed. This is a wake-up call for every human being. If we truly care about the future of our children and grandchildren, we must protect and care for the environment with urgency, determination, and unwavering commitment. There is no Planet B. The only home we have is the one we are slowly destroying. Let us have the wisdom—and the courage—to save it while there is still time.

Do you watch the ongoing Senate courtroom drama? I don’t. I have a mountain of chores, undone tasks, and a strong desire to protect my blood pressure from the daily influx of political stress. I would honestly prefer a quiet, blissfully uninformed life. Let them slug it out in the plenary for all I care. But because it happens to be the most relevant, unavoidable issue in the country right now, I am forcing myself to look. And what I am finding is a masterclass in the absurd. First, why are they counting backward? The trial skipped straight past the financial scandals of Articles 1 through 3 and launched directly into Article IV: Grave Threats and Inciting to Sedition. It’s like starting a television series on season four because that’s where the explosions are. Then came the grand legal battle over paper. The defense threw a massive tantrum because the prosecution tried to introduce printouts and photocopies of digital evidence. As a regular citizen, this makes me deeply bitter. Government offices have routinely rejected my perfect, readable photocopies simply because a younger, careless version of myself lost the original PRC exam rating sheet. The photocopy contains the exact same breakdown of my grades; the only things missing are a transparent watermark and a bureaucratic stamp on the back. Yet, ordinary citizens are denied services over a lack of "original" ink, while the Senate Impeachment Court spent days arguing over it. Fortunately, common sense (and the Supreme Court's Original Document Rule) prevailed: under modern legal standards, a faithful digital printout or photocopy is treated as an original, provided nobody can prove the original was actively faked. The court chose to look at the text, not the watermark. The defense hasn’t actually denied that the Vice President publicly ordered a hit contract on the President, the First Lady, and the House Speaker. Instead, they’ve constructed a narrative called "Operation Romanov"—a claimed deep-state plot to assassinate the Duterte family. They argue her death threats were merely a justified, defensive "line in the sand" to protect her bloodline. But there is a massive structural flaw here: The defense is building a house on a shifting sandbar. An impeachment court exists to try the explicit, recorded actions of the accused, not to chase ghosts. Operation Romanov has never been established as a factual reality. In fact, when the NBI invited the VP’s camp to present evidence of this plot, nobody showed up. Making a lethal public threat based on an unverified rumor is the geopolitical equivalent of shooting blindly into a shifting shadow. In the real world, firing a gun at a shadow will get you a criminal charge, not an acquittal. The defense’s second narrative is a masterclass in psychological gymnastics: they claim that when she uttered those violent threats at 5:00 AM, she was speaking not as the Vice President, but strictly as a traumatized mother, sister, and daughter. How exactly does that split-personality law work? Does a high-ranking official magically shed their constitutional duties, their taxpayer-funded salary, and their political accountability just because they decide to speak in the capacity of a protective relative, a basketball fan, or a Taylor Swift ticket collector? A person is a singular entity. You cannot weaponize the immense institutional weight of your public office to command national attention, and then hide behind a family tree when the legal bill arrives. Even if a private citizen made those exact same threats on the street, it would still be a crime. Finally, the defense argues that her threat was a justifiable, "unconventional deterrent." Let’s apply this "deterrent" logic to real life: Imagine you hear a rumor that your neighbors want to bully your children. To protect your kids, you march out into the middle of the street and scream that you have hired professional criminals to liquidate the neighbor's entire household if your kids get a scratch. Is that an effective deterrent? Maybe. Is it legal or justifiable? Absolutely not. In reality, you would be swiftly hauled into the barangay hall or thrown straight into a police precinct for grave threats. Suspicion of harassment does not grant anyone a license to threaten murder. Parental protection is a human instinct; it is not a legal get-out-of-jail-free card. Furthermore, this is not an exercise of free speech. Express yourself by all means—write a bitter poem, play a mournful song, or paint a chaotic abstract canvas. But our constitutional liberties end the exact millisecond they collide with another human being's fundamental right to safety and survival. If public death threats are codified as "free speech," our society crumbles. We would have people screaming lethal threats at each other on the streets, across jeepneys, over food court tables, and in the comment sections of every vlog. It is a terrifying, anarchic vision of the world. Now, if you'll excuse me, I am going right back to ignoring this absolute circus. I have dishes to wash. Matthew 10:26 “"So don’t be afraid of those who threaten you. For the time is coming when everything that is covered will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all...”

Atty., nagkaigwa kami kan kapitbahay ko nin mainit na diskusyon manungod sa boundary kan samong property. Bago maghale, anggot niyang sinabihan ako, "Gagadanon taka." Poon kaidto, natatakot na akong magluwas harong. Pwede daw akong magsangat nin kaso laban saiya dawa dai man talaga niya ako kinulugan? --- Iyo. Kun an pananakot seryoso asin may katuyuhan na takoton ka, an saimong kapitbahay pwedeng manimbag sa kasong Grave Threat sa irarom kan Article 282 kan Revised Penal Code. An batas nagpaparusa sa sarong tawo na nagbabanta na maggibo nin krimen laban sa iba, dawa kun an pananakot dai natupad. An nagibong krimen depende sa eksaktong mga tataramon na ginamit, sa nakapalibot na mga kamugtakan, asin sa makukuang ebidensia. Kun ika tunay na natatakot para sa saimong kaligtasan, ireport an pangyayari sa pulis o sa Opisina kan Piskal asin ipreserbar an anuman na makukuang ebidensya, arog kan mga mensahe, mga rekording, mga kuha kan CCTV, o mga pahayag kan mga testigo. An simbag na ini para sana sa pankagabsan na impormasyon asin dai dapat ituring na legal advice para sa partikular na kaso. Kung may mga kahaputan, mag email sa ihapotkiattorney@gmail.com.

Maaskad na title. Tataramon na nananamitan asin namamarong (word you can taste and smell). Kung dai mo naisip ang askad asin parong, baad may tada pa nin Covid ang isip mo. Suba lang. Sa history, ang patis bako man sa Pilipinas nagpoon, bako ining imbentong Pinoy. Segun sa sakong simpleng research, nagpoon ini sa Mesopotamia asin Greece kan 1700 BCE, na ang apod garum. Sa China, nagluwas ini sa mga records kan 544 CE, asin ang apod ninda kochi. Ano ta patis ang inooralayan ta sa kolumn para sa mga paraoma asin parasira? Hale man baga sa sira ang patis kaya konektado man. Alagad igua pa nin ibang rason kung tano ini ang napili kong pag-olayan. Ang mercado, ang tao, ang panahon asin ang paghera kan mga produkto. Change is constant ang sabi baga kayan. Sa mga supermarket o groceries, kung naoobserbaran asin nadalan nindo sa mga documentaries, bakong gabos na patis parareho. May tunay na patis, may patis-patis. Ang tunay na patis nag-agi talaga sa fermentation process (pagburo) nin tunay na sira sa asin na nagkokonsumo nin halawig na panahon. Gurano kalawig? Siyam na bulan hanggang sarong taon, ang iba inaabot pang duwang taon. Garo kultura man nin toyo kan mga Hapon na minsan inaabot tolong taon. Halawig ang duwang taon. Pag halawig ang oras na ginugugol sa proseso nin pagprodusir sa sarong negocio, halawig man ang haralatan kan kita, puera kung naka-schedule na ang volume o kantidad kan produkto sa kada taon. Kaya may mga negocio na nagbalyo sa paggibo nin patis-patis, makangirit sayudon, patis-patis, o sa mga labels fish-flavored sauce. Iba ang fish sauce sa fish-flavored sauce. May shortcut ang gabos na bagay. Bako man maraot ang produktong inagi sa shortcut, basta ideklara sana sa mercado, tanganing bakong panloloko. Garo sana guta nin niyog, kan enot dai ko binsido kan coconut powder saka processed coconut milk, kadto de lata pa ang laganan. Ngonian naka pouch na, asin readily available sa mga groceries, naprobaran ko naman asin medio agid naman talaga sa totoong gutang niyog. Affordable man pati baga ang presyo. Madali sana magkumbinse kan mga tao para ini ang bakalon asin ipanribay sa tunay na guta. Simple, dai ka na makudkod, dai ka na mapuga. Lalo na si mga nasa abroad na namimiss ang ginutaan na gulay o bicol express. Bakong eksaktong kapareho pero puede na. Garo sa clase, pasado. Yan ang marketing, asin naoobserbaran na maray ini sa agrikultura, ang gabos na inaagihan kan produkto pakatapos ining anihon, inaapod na marketing services. Mayo man giraray madaog sa tunay na guta. Dai naman kaipuhan magsangkay sa mga dating kudkudan kadto, may makina na naman, may hydraulic jack na nganing pampuga. High-tech naman. Naghehera ang mga bagay segun sa pangangaipo kan negocio asin mga consumidores-tao. Iyo man ang agrikultura ta iyo ini ang pinaghahalean kan mga kinokonsumo tang produkto. Dai pang gayo kita nakakasabay sa dalagan ta dai kita nagbabase sa mercado kundi sa kung anong tanom kan kataid na puedeng sabayan. Mawot ta na magpoon kita kan pag-plano ni pagtanom sa pangangaipo kan mercado tanganing mas magrani kita sa kita sa pag-uma o pagsisira man.

Have you ever noticed how quickly we decide who the smartest person in the room is? It usually isn't after checking credentials, reviewing experience, or weighing the evidence. More often, it's after hearing someone speak with complete confidence. Perhaps that's because confidence has a sound. It speaks without hesitation. It answers quickly. It leaves little room for doubt. It rarely says, "I'm not sure." Competence, on the other hand, sounds different. It asks questions before giving answers. It pauses to gather facts. It admits uncertainty when uncertainty exists. It is comfortable saying, "I need to look into that first." The irony is that these qualities can make a truly competent person appear less convincing than someone who simply sounds certain. We see it everywhere. In boardrooms. In classrooms. On television. On social media. The loudest voice is often mistaken for the strongest argument. We've seen this in Senate proceedings. A lawyer who answers questions immediately may sound impressive. But the better lawyer is the one whose argument withstands scrutiny. In law, confidence may capture attention, but competence is built on facts, research, preparation, and the discipline to question one's own assumptions. That is true beyond the courtroom. A good doctor orders tests before making a difficult diagnosis. A good engineer checks the calculations one more time. A good teacher welcomes difficult questions. The more someone truly understands a subject, the more they appreciate its complexity. Perhaps that's why genuine experts are often more careful with their words than those who know only enough to sound certain. We are naturally drawn to confidence because it is easy to recognize. Competence takes longer to reveal itself. It doesn't announce its arrival. It quietly proves itself over time. Of course, confidence is not the enemy. The world needs confident leaders, confident teachers, confident parents, and confident professionals. But confidence is most valuable when it rests on something deeper. Knowledge. Preparation. Experience. Humility. The loudest person in the room may indeed be the smartest. Then again, the wisest person may be the one who is still thinking before speaking. Confidence may win the first impression. Competence earns the last word.

History tells us there will always be war. Peace, it seems, is often the interval during which nations gather strength. That is not cynicism, it is history. The world’s superpowers speak of peace while modernizing their arsenals. Rivals negotiate while expanding their military capabilities. Deterrence has become the language of stability, yet stability itself often rests upon the threat of unimaginable force. If peace is merely an intermission, what kind of civilization have we built? More importantly, where are we headed? The answers are neither simple nor comforting. Every generation has celebrated its technological achievements. We split the atom. We reached the moon. We connected the world. Now we stand at the threshold of artificial intelligence. Each breakthrough has expanded humanity’s possibilities. Some have also expanded humanity’s capacity for destruction. Technology, however, has never made decisions. People do. Artificial intelligence may become history’s greatest amplifier. Whether it amplifies wisdom or folly remains our decision. History rarely tells us what to do. It simply presents us with consequences. Yet history also teaches something else. Human beings are capable of extraordinary cooperation. We build bridges. We establish treaties. We create institutions. We rebuild after disasters. We rebuild after wars. Somehow, despite our differences, we continue searching for ways to live together. Oddly enough, one of those lessons can be found on a dance floor. Bachata begins with an invitation. Not a demand. Not a threat, but an invitation. “May I have this dance?” Everything that follows depends upon two people agreeing to move together. Not identically. Together. The dance does not eliminate differences. It teaches people how to move with them. Perhaps diplomacy has something to learn from that. The world stage has too often resembled a battlefield. What if we began to see it as a dance floor instead? Not because nations would stop competing. But because they might remember that before every graceful movement comes something remarkably simple: An invitation. Perhaps the world has spent too much time perfecting the art of war. Perhaps it is time to learn how to dance. Perhaps we have something to learn from bachata. It carries the scars of its own journey, yet it still begins every dance with an invitation. “May I have this dance?”

Christopher B. Dacer CBSUA-College of Development Education Innovation is often associated with modern technology, sophisticated laboratories, or well-equipped classrooms. But in many multigrade schools across the country, innovation begins with something much simpler, a teacher's determination to make every lesson meaningful despite limited resources. Inside a multigrade classroom, creativity is not an option; it is a necessity. With learners from different grade levels sharing the same space, teachers constantly design activities that allow one group to work independently while another receives direct instruction. Every minute is carefully planned, ensuring that no learner is left behind. Instead of relying solely on textbooks, teachers transform everyday materials into learning tools. Bottle caps become counters for Mathematics, local plants become examples in Science, and community stories become reading materials that connect lessons to the learners' own experiences. In these classrooms, learning extends beyond the four walls of the school and into the community itself. Peer learning is another hallmark of multigrade education. Older pupils assist younger classmates in reading, writing, or solving problems, creating a culture where learning is shared rather than competed for. This approach not only reinforces academic skills but also nurtures empathy, leadership, and responsibility among learners. Technology, when available, also finds its place. A single tablet, a downloaded educational video, or an offline digital resource can enrich lessons and expose learners to ideas beyond their communities. Yet even without advanced devices, teachers continue to find innovative ways to spark curiosity and keep learning engaging. The success of multigrade classrooms is not built on expensive equipment but on the ingenuity of teachers who refuse to let challenges limit their students' opportunities. Every lesson reflects careful planning, resourcefulness, and an unwavering belief that every child can learn. Innovation, after all, is not about having more. It is about making the most of what is available. And in multigrade schools, that spirit of innovation continues to shape young minds, proving that meaningful education can flourish wherever dedicated teachers and eager learners come together.

Ni: Dr. Christian C. Vega Malamlam na mata, mahinang kalamnan, kalog na tuhod, maputlang balat. Araw-araw na napapansin ito ng amang si Rene sa kanyang anak na si Marie. Sa likod ng bahay, pasimpleng nagpapala ng maliit na butas hanggang maging parihabang hukay si Rene. Sa pagdaan ng mga araw lumalalim ng lumalalim ito. Dito laging inaalok si Marie upang maglaro at kumain. Dala ang hingaan at kumot ay kinukwentuhan ng mga masasayang mga bagay ng Ama ang kanyang nag-iisang anak. Dito rin, inilalakbay ang diwa sa mga pangarp ng anak na si Marie. Dahilang bawat araw ay palagian na siyang inaalok ng kanyang anak para sa isang bagong laro at panibagong kwento ng buhay. Dala muli ang banig at kumot habang dahan-dahang pinapaypayan ang anak ng kanyang Ama. Bagong kuwento, bagong pangarap at bagong pag-asang dapat na maabot. Paunti-unti ring inilalakbay ni Rene sa tunay na takbo ng realidad ng buhay si Marie. Dumating ang araw na animo’y lantang-gulay at hinang-hina ang kanyang anak, ngunit bakas parin na ipinapakita ang maaliwalas na ngiti ng kanyang ama. Iba ang araw na ito, sapagkat, bukod sa kwento ay may himig na naririnig si Marie na patuloy niyang nauulinigan hanggang sa paglaho ng kanyang pandinig hanggang sa hindi niya mapakinggan ang tinig ng kanyang Ama. Anak, batid ko, naging mahaba na ang iyong laban sa sakit na kanser na kailanma’y ipinagkait kong malaman mo, dahilang hindi ko nais na mabago ang positibo mong papanaw sa kakarampot na panahon na inilagi mo sa mundo. Baunin mo ang bawat kwento at ang aking pangarap saiyo. Matagal mong magiging tahanan ang hukay na ito, napasakit man subalit sinanay na kita at alam kong sa muli nating pagkikita kukwentuhan parin kita. Nandito lang ako.