Monthly Archives: April 2011

Microsoft Philippines holds first education forum, honors most innovative teachers

Software giant Microsoft, through its local office, held its first innovative education forum and the awarding of its 6th Innovative Teachers Leadership Award (ITLA) last week at the SMX Convention Center.

The education forum presented an avenue for teachers and educators to learn about the best practices in engaging students make the most out of their studies by incorporating technology into teaching and learning. It aims to bring student’s learning experience a notch higher by introducing teaching methods that will make more exciting and interactive for both teachers and students.

“We at Microsoft believe that to empower schools increase learning is thru teacher development. Technology is not just a tool in educating the young minds but also an instrument that can be utilize, improve, strengthen, and enhance the learning experiences of both teachers and the students," said Leeanne Lambino-Nuguid, Academic Programs Manager, Partners in Learning, Microsoft Philippines.

The ITLA is a program under the Partners in Learning initiative, Microsoft’s global initiative for education that provides educators and partners technology training and tools. ITLA is a recognition given to top ten public elementary and secondary teachers who have successfully integrated information and communications technology in teaching and learning, and who have impacted a great number of students in the process.

According to Nuguid, Microsoft Philippines launched Partners in Learning in the country six years ago and since then it has worked with the Department of Education (DepEd) in implementing skill-training programs and helping schools prepare and enriched teachers Information Technology (IT) knowledge and skills.

To date, Partners in Learning has reached over 3 million people and has been able to train 43, 687 teachers in the Philippines.

Nuguid said that the program is anchored on the belief of Microsoft that the key to better education is innovation and students that have an access to better education are potential partners in national and economic development.

“Through the forum and ITLA, we are bringing community of teachers who are also learners and offering them the opportunities to become stakeholders in producing IT skilled Filipino students," Nuguid added.

This year’s ITLA top three winners are: Felix Bunagan of Makati City High School for his project, “Fun with Newton"; Blecyrezza Piluden of the Baguio City National High School for her “The Film Festival"; and Glendale Lamiseria of Dulag National High School for her “Tendencies for a Cause" project.

The three teachers will represent the country in the 7th Regional Innovative Education Forum in Thailand this March 9-11.

Yolanda Quijano, DepEd Undersecretary for Programs and Projects, said that DepEd joins Microsoft in honoring the teachers for rising above and optimize the use of technology and bring out better student learning despite the limited ICT resources in their schools.

“We are happy that Microsoft is taking the lead in aiding teachers and students become more interactive in the learning process. The growing opportunities for our teachers and students in the country is vast and we should all work together to provide the best learning experiences to them," said Quijano.

John Bessy, Managing Director, Microsoft Philippines said that with the continuous support partners and DepEd, Microsoft will be reaching more children and teachers in the coming years to enable the youth to become globally-competitive through technology.

Also, present at the forum was Efren Penaflorida, 2009 CNN Hero of the year, who shared his motivation in putting up his “Kariton" classroom as an alternative education for the Filipino youth. — TJD, GMA News

source:http://www.gmanews.tv/story/212505/microsoft-philippines-holds-first-education-forum-honors-most-innovative-teachers#

IDC: Tech spending in PH to continue in 2011

Following a recovery in information and computer technology (ICT) spending last year, the Philippine market will be characterized by further revitalization and sustained growth in technology spending in 2011, analyst firm IDC said on Thursday as part of its annual predictions for the Asia Pacific region.

Across Asia Pacific and in the Philippines, a significant majority of businesses will be focused on further business expansion, both in terms of market share and penetration, and will leverage heavily on ICT as a key business enabler, IDC said.

The ability of ICT to deliver critical business upshots will become an even more important requirement and expectation from CIOs and line-of-business managers in 2011, it added.

“In 2011, fueled by the increased complexity in ICT needs of enterprises, as well as the ever-evolving needs of SMBs and consumers’ increased usage of ICT, the market will see an even larger scale of competition. As a result, ICT stakeholders such as vendors, service providers (SPs) and channels would need to focus on coming up with products and services that offer specific business value to clients; smart pricing models; more tactical partnerships with strategic players within the ICT ecosystem; and, feeding channels with transformational initiatives," said Jubert Daniel Alberto, manager for IT spending research at IDC Philippines.

The following are the top 10 predictions that IDC believes will have the biggest commercial impact on the ICT industry in the Philippines in 2011:

1. Philippine IT spending will see sustained growth in 2011
The Philippine IT spending is forecast to reach $3.63 billion by end of 2011. The country is also headed to post a 12 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2006 to 2014. The political stability and upbeat direction of the economy has fostered confidence among vendors to spend on marketing efforts. Consumers, on the other hand, are also expected to spend due to the continuous improvement of the economy and to some extent, the purchasing power of Filipinos.

2. Telco spending will record modest year-on-year (yoy) growth of 6% in 2011
IDC anticipates a 6 percent YoY growth on overall telco services in 2011, reaching $4.49 billion by year end. Operators are continually moving to capture demand from mass markets, as well as the uncharted territories outside the big cities throughout the country. In addition, fixed line operators are seen to make bigger concerted efforts to explore and exploit new revenue streams.

3. Expected rise of media tablets will drive further portability and increased data consumption
Filipinos have been waiting in anticipation for the slated tablet PC launch in 2011. With its ability to propel bigger IT spending and introduce a more mobile IT environment, IDC believes that tablet PCs will be one of the key growth drivers for IT in the Philippines. On a worldwide level, IDC predicts the media tablet phenomenon to result in the shipment of more than 57 million units in 2014, exceeding deployment of mini notebooks. Locally, the media tablets and all the hoopla around it are projected to challenge, rather than completely overthrow, the mini notebooks.

4. From being just a theory to realization — 2011 will mark the dawn of the cloud era
With a rich pool of clients waiting for cloud service offerings, providers of cloud services will have their hands full starting 2011. Cloud computing is becoming the buzzword for some SMEs and MNCs alike. The demand to increase business productivity will pave the way for SPs and MNCs to look into a new medium of managing and optimizing business systems – through the cloud.

5. Intelligent SMBs: social media and consumer technologies will adopt bigger roles among SMBs
In 2011, IDC expects SMBs in the Philippines to increase usage of social media and consumer technologies. They will be regarded as solutions to achieve more benefits from technology adoption while working within limited budgets. The needs of SMBs are far more than scaled-down or “mini-me" versions of enterprise solutions. SMBs are a diverse group of businesses with disparate needs but limited funds. In the coming year, SMBs’ ICT needs will intensify, but, as with their larger counterparts, priorities will focus on reducing total cost of IT and aligning or adapting IT to the changing business landscape.

6. Mobile operators will blur lines between intra- and inter-network pricing
In 2011, less exclusivity and more liberality will be the name of the game, with SPs relaxing their competitive boundaries though call-all, text-all networks schemes. SPs will be more lenient with their pricing schemes on calls and texts due to promising revenues from data consumption brought about by the increasing popularity of smartphones and Web 2.0 applications such as Facebook and Twitter.

7. Increasing usage of smartphones will give birth to new security models
In 2011 IDC expects smartphones to comprise 23 percent of mobile phone shipments, as compared to only 18 percent in 2009. With the growing ownership of smartphones, coupled with the proliferation of more affordable mobile data plans, more and more employees are seen to use their personal mobile devices to access corporate information. This growth, however, comes as a double edged sword: accessing corporate data using personal devices can be a key factor in confidential data loss. In this regard, IDC predicts that increased usage of smartphones for both personal and business use will give birth to new IT security models in 2011.

8. Social analytics will be “the next big thing" to social media
With the rise in social media technologies usage, investments on social analytics tools are expected to grow in 2011 as businesses start to realize the importance of data mining and how analytics tools can help them generate insights for future decision making and market predictions. In a survey conducted by IDC, one of the main IT-related priority of companies in the Philippines is to build better management tools to help them make better business decisions.

9. Web applications and social media will drive dynamics in flourishing smartphone market
IDC believes that in 2011, web applications and social media will shape trends in the smart phone space, driving dynamics in areas such as pricing, features, and operating systems. The usage of Web 2.0 applications, whether social-oriented or media streaming, through mobile devices is rapidly increasing. This is expected to increase accessible customer data as well.

10. Business process outsourcing (BPO) in the Philippines will see continued traction
In 2011, IDC believes that notwithstanding issues on manpower challenges, the BPO market in the Philippines will continue to see traction in terms of worldwide share of offshore services. The Philippine BPO industry will continue to perform well across the five (contact centers; HR, and finance and accounting outsourcing; medical transcription; software development and animation) key segments. However, maintaining its value proposition in the global BPO scheme of things in light of the intensifying competition and the presence of issues that could affect the industry’s growth prospects in the country will be the key factors that need to be resolved in order for the industry to continue to thrive. — Newsbytes.ph

 

source:http://www.gmanews.tv/story/210588/idc-tech-spending-in-ph-to-continue-in-2011#

As broadband subs grow, PLDT’s ICT biz falters

Top dog PLDT has announced its 2010 financial and operating results which showed that its SmartBro wireless broadband service continued to expand its wireless broadband subscriber base to over 1.35 million at the end of 2010, over 925,000 of whom were on prepaid service.

Wireless broadband revenues continued to grow strongly, up 17 percent to P6.3 billion, compared with the P5.4 billion recorded in 2009.

Moreover, mobile Internet browsing usage has been growing at a fast clip, with revenues increasing by 37 percent, from P530 million in 2009 to P725 million in 2010. Wireless broadband revenues now account for 7 percent of wireless service revenues.

PLDT said Smart’s 3G and fixed wireless broadband networks now cover 52 percent and 62 percent of the country’s population, respectively.

Fixed line service revenues, however, decreased by 5 percent to P48.6 billion in 2010 from P51.1 billion in 2009 as the strong peso impacted the business unfavorably.

Data and DSL revenues generated from third parties, nevertheless, continued to post strong growth of 16 percent. Data service revenues contributed 45 percent of the fixed line’s service revenues as compared with 42 percent in the same period last year.

Fixed Line broadband subscribers grew by 83,000 to over 640,000 at the end 2010 from 560,000 at the end of 2009. PLDT DSL generated P8.3 billion in revenues in 2010, up 17 percent from P7.1 billion in 2009.

Meanwhile, the group’s information and communications technology (ICT) business reported service revenues of P10.7 billion in 2010, a decline of 2 percent from 2009.

With 70 percent of their revenues being dollar-denominated, the ICT business’ results were particularly hard hit by the appreciation of the peso. Had the peso remained stable, service revenues for the period would have increased by 2 percent year-on-year, the company said.

Prospects for the reorganized SPi Global Holdings are particularly encouraging with the projected expansion of both its new and existing customer base, the company added.

“Now that we have recalibrated the focus of ePLDT and SPi, we are looking forward to a banner year from both entities," stated Napoleon Nazareno, president and CEO of PLDT and Smart. — Newsbytes.ph

 

source:http://www.gmanews.tv/story/214518/as-broadband-subs-grow-pldts-ict-biz-falters#

ICT project to help bring peace in Mindanao – UK Embassy

Connecting young people through the use of information and communications technology (ICT) may help resolve the decades-old conflict in Mindanao, the British government stressed Wednesday.

British Ambassador to the Philippines Stephen Lillie said the United Kingdom is pushing for its project, dubbed PeaceTech, that aims to bridge cultural and geographic barriers between Muslim and non-Muslim students through the use of video conferences.

These video conferences, Lillie said, are conducted between public high schools in Metro Manila and those in conflict-ridden areas such as Iligan City, Zamboanga City and other parts of the Philippines’ southern region.

According to the British ambassador, communication remains to be the cornerstone of peace-building efforts, especially in light of a rapidly evolving technology that allows better and faster means of communication.

As part of the project, a video conference was done Tuesday between students of Esteban Abada High School in Manila and Zamboanga College of Marine Science and Technology in Zamboanga City.

“We support peace efforts in communities affected by conflict," Lillie said in a statement Tuesday, adding Britain’s bilateral program fund has been supporting peace-building projects to help find solutions for lasting peace in Mindanao.

“[PeaceTech] promotes understanding and acceptance of cultural and religious differences between young people, which is an important part of the peace building process," Lillie explained.

PeaceTech founder Robin Pettyfer said one of the best ways to eliminate tension and ignorance of the issue is to bring these young people face to face, at least virtually.

"We are doing this in on a mass scale. By bringing two sides together they can realize for themselves that the other is not to be feared. This is especially useful in societies torn by misunderstanding and tension," he said.

The innovative methods of Peacetech complement school curricula on peace education, communications, and history, according to the British Embassy.

“By tackling the structural causes leading to conflict, the project clarifies misinterpretations about issues and promotes solidarity among people of different backgrounds," Pettyfer said. — With Jerrie Abella/VS, GMANews.TV

 

source:http://www.gmanews.tv/story/211004/ict-project-to-help-bring-peace-in-mindanao-uk-embassy#

ECCP asks Senate to file counterpart bill creating ICT Dept.

European businessmen are urging the Senate to file its version of a bill creating a Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to develop information and communications technology in the country.

A similar bill is pending in the House of Representatives.

"We urge the Senate to ensure the timely passage of a counterpart bill creating the DICT. The DICT can ensure the Philippines can be competitive in the worldwide IT industry which could employ 1.25 million Filipinos and earn $23 billion by 2016," said Henry Schumacher, executive vice president of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, in a statement Wednesday.

"In an era of globalization, ICT is an important vehicle enabling the private sector to be more competitive. ICT plays a key role by enabling the government to become more efficient and effective in the delivery of social and information services," he said.

Schumacher pointed out it is vital that the Philippines should "fully embrace [ICT] to support continuing rapid sectoral developments, including talent development and flexible work arrangements."

In the House bill, the DICT would absorb the communications-related functions of the Department of Transportation and Communications, Commission on Information and Communications Technology, and National Computer Center.

The House bill also attaches the National Telecommunications Commission, the Philippine Postal Corp., and the Telecommunications Office to the DICT. — JE/PE/VS, GMANews.TV

 

source:http://www.gmanews.tv/story/210997/eccp-asks-senate-to-file-counterpart-bill-creating-ict-dept#

Tech Tots: Born and raised in a digital world

Saki walks and talks like any two-year old, but navigates through his mom’s iPhone like a pro. He knows which icons represent his games, and can operate these apps all by himself.

Ram – who turns just four next month – has an American accent and the vocabulary of a five-year old, thanks in part to early exposure to educational computer programs from the United States. His mom first let him tinker with her iPod Touch when they started learning the alphabet and their corresponding sounds.

Toddlers like Saki and Ram belong to a generation of digital natives. Coined by learning specialist Marc Prensky in 2001, the term refers to a class of youngsters who — by virtue of being born and raised in an environment with easy access to technology — can easily adapt to new technological advancements, and whose learning and thinking patterns may have been shaped by such.

Going “native"
An advocate of educational reform, Prensky strongly recommended that educators modify their teaching methods to maximize the digital natives’ learning strategies.

Indeed, integrating information and communication technology (ICT) in childhood learning seems to be slowly gaining ground in the Philippines —at least for those who can afford it. ICT textbooks, and the computer programs that they endorse, are available for kindergarten students. Preschool teachers are enabled, even encouraged, to use Powerpoint presentations as learning aids. And just last month, Vibal Publishing unveiled the digital version of its Chikiting line of storybooks, accessible to Android devices and the iPad.

Prensky described digital natives as multi-taskers, used to receiving information really fast, prefer graphics before text, and thrive on instant gratification and reward. Digital natives or not, children already have a short attention span, and some early childhood educators concede the benefits of digital learning aids in hurdling this particular stumbling block.

Digital playground

Tablet tales: Vibal Publishing’s Chikiting storybooks are available for Android gadgets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Photo: Patricia Calzo Vega

“The first challenge that teachers battle when starting a new lesson is getting the children to listen," shares Mariel Calabig, an early childhood educator for twenty years, and managing directress of Play Care Preparatory School in Santa Rosa, Laguna.

“Computer-based materials and interactive programs are tools that a teacher can use to present a lesson. Teachers can invent their own stories or create animation to entice their students." While Play Care teachers are allowed to present videos or animated storybooks to their class, this is balanced by a wide range of appropriate physical and mental activities. “Children aged 3 to 4 years old get easily restless with an activity that lasts for more than 20 minutes, some will not even sit through a whole exciting movie. [Our teachers present] a variety of experiential activities — singing, games, art, storytelling, and role-playing — to keep their attention focused on the day’s lessons," Calabig added.

Play Care’s Junior Kinder teacher, Lyra Pandy, uses animated presentations whenever she introduces new word groups, so her four-year old students are no strangers to digital learning aids. “(My class is) learning C-V-C words, and it really helps if the letters are animated for my students to learn proper enunciation. The class pronounces each letter as it lights up, until the entire word is completed," she says.

Vibal Publishing’s Chikiting digital editions are recommended for children aged four and up, so Teacher Lyra asked some of her students to try the digital storybook, to lukewarm results.

“The story is quite long and wordy for my students to read on their own, so we tried the “Read to Me" option. While the animation was nicely done, my students were distracted by the simultaneous voiceover narration and animated pictures. We couldn’t finish the entire story." Teacher Lyra noted that the digital storybook may be improved by animating the pictures after each page’s story narration was completed.

“[My students] didn’t know whether to pay attention to the moving pictures or the spoken words, and ended up not paying attention at all. Having the animation come after the narration will ensure that they focus on both the words and artwork of the story."

Special cases
SPED teachers may also benefit from the use of ICT, provided that the technology is appropriate for the student’s particular learning needs, notes Dr. Marie Grace Gomez, a professor at the Special Education department of the UP College of Education. “For gifted children, research has shown that technology enhances their capacity to perform better. Students with dysgraphia (writing difficulties) may produce better written output through digital teaching aids, while children with visual impairment can enjoy educational games through talking screen readers."

Dr. Gomez is quick to note that technology may also be a detriment to learning. “Students with ADHD or autism may be over-excited [by] bright colors and graphic displays. This may aggravate hyperactive conditions." — GMA News

 

source:http://www.gmanews.tv/story/213390/tech-tots-born-and-raised-in-a-digital-world#

List of stolen cars, motorcycles on Facebook

By Maricar Cinco
Inquirer Southern Luzon
First Posted 23:36:00 03/15/2011

 

STA. CRUZ, Laguna, Philippines —The easiest way to report or track down a stolen vehicle is through Facebook.

An online database of vehicles or their parts, which are stolen or recovered within the Laguna province, has been created by the Laguna police in the popular social networking site Facebook.

The idea for the Facebook page of the “Laguna PNP Carnapped-Recovered-Abandoned Vehicle (CRAV) List,” was to make it easy for people to check on abandoned or recovered vehicles, Senior. Supt. Gilbert Cruz, Laguna police director, said.

During the project’s launch Tuesday, Cruz said they included photos and information, which could be as specific as the vehicle’s chassis or engine numbers.

He explained that car thieves would often take off the plate numbers aside from cannibalizing the vehicle for their parts.

Details of when and where the ‘car theft’ took place or if the case has been filed in courts are also posted online.

So far, the page, which can also be accessed by typing in “Laguna CRAV list,” has listed stolen cars and motorcycles recovered in parts of Laguna from October 2010 to the present.

“If a person’s car is stolen, he can initially post and upload photos of his vehicle, as some sort of a public ‘announcement’ in case the thief plans to use (the vehicle),” Cruz added.

He said they would also welcome reports of stolen mountain bicycles.

Cruz said car theft incidents in Laguna have gone down by 50 percent in the past six months but there have been many cases wherein cars stolen in Metro Manila were recovered in Laguna.

Among these cases are a truck hijacked in Taguig City but abandoned in San Pedro town in Laguna in November and a sports utility vehicle stolen in Quezon City in February but found in Alaminos town in Laguna.

“Soon we will include car theft incidents that happen in other Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) provinces,” said Cruz.

He said his office would coordinate with the police Highway Patrol Group in updating the online information.

The Laguna police is the first to tap Facebook for its anti-crime program through the online pages, Abusado dot com (wherein citizens could report on erring cops) and Laguna’s Most Wanted Criminals, both of which were created in 2010.

 

source:http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20110315-325672/List-of-stolen-cars-motorcycles-on-Facebook


Smart bundles calls, SMS, Web services in one

Leading network Smart Communications Inc. recently launched a promo that bundles unlimited text messaging (short messaging system), calls and Internet usage all in one “bucket.”

Calling it “All-In 20,” Smart said that the bundle was designed to address the needs of mobile users who want to avail themselves of other services other than making calls or sending text messages. The offer is available to all Smart Buddy subscribers.

Smart wants “to ramp up and add more value to its prepaid offers amid escalating price-based competition,” the telco said.

About 90 percent of Smart’s 45 million subscribers are on prepaid.

“We are focusing our prepaid business on rolling out uniquely designed, bundled services that suit the shifting ways with which mobile subscribers now choose to communicate,” Smart wireless consumer division head Danilo Mojica said.

Smart Buddy subscribers that avail of the “All-In 20” promo will be able to send unlimited text messages to other Smart, Talk N’ Text and Red Mobile subscribers.

The promo also allows 20 texts to other networks, and 20 minutes of on-net calling or mobile Internet browsing, for only P20 a day.

“When mobile subscribers need to share something, they no longer just text or call—they post it on Facebook, or they ‘tweet’ about it,” Mojica said.

With All-In 20, mobile subscribers may share and communicate information via SMS, voice, or through the Internet, “at a fixed price that suits their budget,” he added.

The new promo is expected to help open up mobile Internet to a much broader market—a key component of the industry leader’s strategy of offering mobile Internet in “sachets,” Mojica said.

To avail of All-In 20, subscribers may register to the package by texting 20 to 6415. To enjoy the corresponding free minutes, a subscriber may simply dial *6415 plus the 11-digit on-net number.

 

source:http://business.inquirer.net/money/topstories/view/20110324-327468/Smart-bundles-calls-SMS-Web-services-in-one


 

CebuPac website gets more hits from would-be travelers worldwide

By Doris Dumlao
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:45:00 03/15/2011

 

MANILA, Philippines—The website of leading budget carrier Cebu Pacific is the most popular travel source in the Philippines, the airline said Tuesday, citing a study by digital media measurement provider comScore.

The website www.cebupacificair.com, was named the most popular travel site in the country, based on a digital media measurement used by comScore to track more than three million unique websites worldwide.

“Web users in Southeast Asia are rapidly gaining confidence in using the Web to research and book travel. The large number of low-cost airlines servicing the region is a primary contributor to this growth,” a Cebu Pacific statement said, quoting portions of a research that came out on March 9.

The media measurement provider culled its research from consumers in 170 countries.

People who are over 15 years old and who get to access the Internet from home or at work make up comScore’s Internet audience.

Cebu Pacific posted a 58-percent growth in online audience, based on figures covering January 2010 to January 2011. The figures were greater than that of any other airline in the Philippines.

Cebu Pacific had 409,000 unique visitors each month, compared with 203,000 unique visitors to Philippine Airlines’ website, the company said.

The study also showed that the Philippines is now the top Facebook market in the world, with a 93.7-percent market reach, based on January 2011 figures.

Cebu Pacific has over 130,000 fans on Facebook, more than any other low-cost carrier in Southeast Asia.

“CEB offers direct access to its travel products and services through its website, giving passengers the flexibility to choose flights with the lowest fares, and to manage their own bookings,” said Candice Iyog, CEB vice president for marketing and distribution.

“We also encourage guests to take advantage of the website’s payment center options and Web check-in services for their travel convenience.”

Cebu Air Inc., which operates the budget carrier brand Cebu Pacific, is listed on the PSE under the ticker “CEB.”

On Tuesday, Cebu Air was up by 0.25 percent to P85.20 a share. It has a market capitalization of P52.09 billion.

 

source:http://business.inquirer.net/money/topstories/view/20110315-325659/CebuPac-website-gets-more-hits-from-would-be-travelers-worldwide


Searching for loved ones via hotlines, Facebook

By DJ Yap, Alex Pal, Carla Gomez
Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inquirer Visayas
First Posted 04:11:00 03/13/2011

 

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines—Filipinos in Japan are using Facebook to touch base with loved ones in Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental following the massive earthquake on Friday.

Enrique Linaja Gonzaga, a native of Negros Occidental, posted on his Facebook wall photos of the crowd gathered on the streets of Tokyo after the quake.

“Thank God there’s Internet connection in the coffee shop where we are now,” Gonzaga wrote on the social networking site.

“It was so bad I ended up trembling, it was too much to bear,” he said. “Please pray for us. Every now and then, the earth shakes. I was in the midst of a meeting when it happened. The trains have stopped. Traffic is everywhere.”

Carla Maxino-Koseki, a native of Dumaguete and now a resident of Tokyo, told the Inquirer through Facebook that she was heading home in a subway train when the earthquake struck.

The quake’s epicenter was off the east coast of Honshu, some 390 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, where the temblor caused people to run out of swaying buildings.

The trains stopped running and Koseki had to walk back to her office on the 9th floor of the Philippine National Bank Tokyo to await the resumption of the train service.

Soon she received text messages from her son and daughter assuring her that they were safe.

Koseki said this was the first major quake that she had experienced in her 27 years of living in Japan.

Part of life

Ed Macavinta, also of Dumaguete, said quakes were part of everyday life in Japan.

“But this time, it is devastating and huge! Let’s continue praying for everybody’s safety,” he wrote on Facebook.

Jose Ma. Zayco, secretary general of the Negros Japan Human Resource Exchange Association Inc., said Negrenses had difficulty contacting relatives in Japan because the phone lines were clogged.

But many Negrenses in Tokyo were able to communicate through their Facebook accounts, he said.

At least 400 skilled workers from Negros Occidental and 20 from Cagayan de Oro City are in Narita and Tokyo to undergo training under the association’s program.

Zayco said there was no word that anyone of them had been harmed.

DFA hot lines

Altogether, there are 305,972 Filipinos in Japan. But uncertainty continued to cloud the fate of those in the quake- and tsunami-ravaged areas.

In Manila, jittery Filipinos have swamped the hot lines —numbers 834-4646 and 834-4580—of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in an effort to get in touch with loved ones. (Requests for information may also be e-mailed to dfaoumwa.cmc@gmail.com.)

The DFA said that since Friday evening, it had received more than 200 calls through the hot lines.

“The phone has been ringing almost nonstop,” said Anna Marie Santos, a foreign service officer detailed at the Office of the Undersecretary of Migrant Workers Affairs.

Santos leads a DFA team who answers calls from distressed Filipinos and takes down their details.

She said many of the callers were crying and panic-stricken as they “demanded” or “begged” for information about their parents, siblings, spouses or children living in Japan.

“Some of them are wives on vacation here and looking for their Japanese husbands. Others are teenagers looking for their Japanese fathers,” she said.

Of the 200 Manila callers, only 11 could yet breathe a sigh of relief. The Philippine Embassy in Tokyo said it had established contact with them and found them to be safe, said DFA spokesperson Eduardo Malaya, also the assistant secretary for legal affairs.

Under the setup, the names, addresses and other details are recorded by DFA personnel and relayed to the embassy in Tokyo. “The embassy will try to trace these individuals and verify their conditions,” Malaya said.

Life or death

Santos, a psychology graduate who also handled the hot lines for inquiries involving the crisis in Libya, said the nature of the calls to Japan was different.

“When people called about Libya, they were concerned about how their relatives would come home. With Japan, people want to know if their relatives are still alive. It’s a life or death situation for them,” she said in an interview.

Santos also said the calls showed the kinship between Filipinos and Japanese, noting that in many of the cases, some of the inquiries concerned Japanese nationals.

“Filipinos have a bond with the Japanese people. We have an affiliation and a shared history,” she said.

Santos said she had gathered from the phone calls that Filipinos in Japan were no longer just “overseas Filipino workers” living in another country. “They have developed roots there,” she said.

Counseling skills

Most of the callers were not aware of where their relatives were living in Japan, and thought that the entire country had been ravaged by the earthquake, according to Santos.

“They would begin the call by saying: ‘Hello, my brother or sister is in Japan…’ Those who are aware would immediately give an address or a building and ask if that was affected by the quake,” she said.

Santos said counseling skills were necessary when taking hot line calls.

She recalled listening to the story of an emotional wife while seven callers on the other phones were waiting to be answered.

“They want us to give them assurances that their relatives are safe. But we can’t do that. All we can tell them is we will relay their information to the embassy and hope for the best,” she said.

 

source:http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20110313-325104/Searching-for-loved-ones-via-hotlines-Facebook