#2024 NRS Bronze

Posting this here just so it is easier to track for DPCR purposes. Thank God for His grace in allowing our simple paper to win bronze award in the Policy and Socioeconomics Category of the 2024 National Research Congress held on Oct. 8-9, 2024. It has always been bronze but thanking God still for this small win that will contribute to what the BSU hymn says “more glories to thy name will bring…” Of course, we give the utmost glory to our sovereign God for His providence. 

Congratulations Chairo, our football enthusiast!

July 1, 2024

Our dearest Chairo Potpot:

We thank God and we congratulate you on passing the BSU entrance examination for Grade 7 and landing rank 5 from the many. We know that this is really what you want primarily because you want to be trained better in football. I know that you did your best and passed even if you (and I) initially doubted it given the hundreds of applicants. But understand that this is also God's will and providence for you and so He alone gets the glory. 

Boy, we are proud of you. (Your classmate Julian was right when he described you in Grade 6 as 'wasted potential". :-) Now you will be a BSU HS student like we, your Uncle Winslow, Uncle Winston, Auntie Beverly, and Auntie Beveryn had been. Of course, it was much different then. Uncle Winston was also in the Vocational Agriculture section, and we bonded well on his farm. I even learned how to use the bicycle at the Swamp area, while we were helping tend his farm. 

Son, I do not know what God has in store for you, but I pray that you will come to see the providence of Christ in your life as you grow in your knowledge of Him. You know that high school is not elementary, as your Manong Khane always tells you. You will face challenges and experiences so unlike elementary. We will always support and guide you every step of the way. You heard a lot from us already but we reiterate that we will always be around boi! :-) Plus, Manong Khane and Kharece are your best cheerers.

We love you and congratulations.

Mama and Daddy 

Kharece at 6: "A charming young lady of stated age"

Dearest Kharece,

Today, you turned 6 years old. Last October, we had you evaluated and their diagnoses were:

CLINICAL OBSERVATIONS

eye contact - fair

ability to follow instructions - fair

attention span and concentration - fair

frustration tolerance- fair to good

sitting span - good

hyperactivity - not hyperactive

stereotypical behavior - none

speech and communication skills - able to speak in phrases

social and interaction skills - very good

concept of body parts - present

attachment to certain objects - blocks

play behavior - interactive play

DEVELOPMENTAL PROFILE

Gross motor skills: age-appropriate (don't quite agree with this though)

Fine motor skills: delayed

Expressive language: delayed

Receptive language: age-appropriate

Adaptive/self-hep skills: delayed

Behavioral skills: fair work behavior

CLINICAL IMPRESSION/WORKING DIAGNOSIS

A charming young lady of stated age

As you turn 6, we take time to worship God as a family to thank God for everything you are and has allowed you to achieve. How can we not? Everything you are is a manifestation of God's unending grace to our family. We continue to pray that God will indeed let you be as you have been diagnosed: a charming young lady of stated age but to add "who understands faith in Christ."

Our prinsisita Ayen

Thank God for the blessing of children.

Dr. Domingo Quitongan Casiwan St.

On January 16, 2023, the BSU family will unveil the name of some of its streets named after some previous officials at BSU, including daddy DOMINGO QUITONGAN CASIWAN. His name won't ring a bell to many now at BSU, and not that having a small stretch named after you has any eternal significance, but I know from my interactions with daddy of how he so loved MSAC/BSU. Of course, BSU has been our family's source of bread and butter as they say, but way more than that, I know how Dad sincerely and to the best of his ability served BSU.

The university board secretary was asking me a few days back what his milestones were as CA dean (as she said she has no resource person in mind). Honestly, I do not know. I only know he was a previous dean, a previous Vice President of Research and Extension, a long-time officer of the then BSUTEA, and the founding president of the BSU Faculty Club. At some point, when I was reviewing the draft BSU History Coffee Table Book being written by some BSU alumni, I didn't see much of his name there. I was tempted to insert one sentence to say that he was the founding president of the BSU Faculty Club, and that the now BSUGEA Entrepreneurial Bldg. was acquired partly through his efforts (and as I remember has been a subject of controversy), or that he facilitated a few of the first internationalization efforts at BSU. I remember seeing him in his study at our old house handwriting many letters (and maybe asking his secretaries or typing himself) to universities/institutions abroad (note that there was no fax or email then) and sending them through postal mail. 

As a researcher now and as I browse previous BSU publications, I wondered, how he became a Professor VI and VP for research and extension when he has no scientific publications, or at least I can't find any on the net. And not even UMs. Of course, I know how he is known in the community of animal raisers and swine raiser associations in the past, and in our neighborhood at Balili where he was many times consulted as if he was a Vet. I also know he was sought for in relation to animal science problems, and mistaken to be a vet, but publications-wise, he would probably not be considered a faculty researcher (Peace, dad!). But like the old professors of MSAC/BSU, I know how they are known for their expertise or are usually known for practicing their craft, and hence, as a high school student, I was assigned at some point to tend to some goats, or give water and salt to a cow that is in front of the BSU Boy's dormitory (as MaryJane Tipayno would also do as a normal task budding and grafting of citrus seedlings). He taught my brothers how to do artificial insemination and cutting of newborn piglet teeth, judging gilts, etc. The rest of what I remember I alluded to in a previous blogpost Grace Faith Walk: Search results for warrior is a child

Anyway, I am happy to witness a BSU street named after him. My memory of our last talk when I came home for data collection when I was taking my PhD in Japan (a few months before he died) was very vivid. Even while many people at BSU have different narratives, during that talk, I knew and saw his heart. Whenever I pass by that now talipapa in Central Balili, I am affirmed of what his heart contains, his love for BSU. It is not in the books, and he had his share of follies in his lifetime, so history will not always be kind to him, but in my heart and in my memory of him as a parent, and in our frequent weekend talks when I started working, I know that there is no doubt he sincerely served and loved BSU as an institution. 

So I know not of his milestones, I know not of his significant contributions, I know not of his legacies, but like my favorite Professor Rodolfo Abastilla, who I think has not been honored for his contributions at BSU as much as he should, that is their very strength, that is their very blessing--the not knowing what they have done, the not telling--maybe, that is their legacy, their reward. 

Thank you MSAC, thank you BSU, thank you Sir Felipe Salaing Comila, and the current BSU management. It may not be necessary, but God is sovereign and allows all things for a purpose or purposes He only usually knows. May His purposes be accomplished, and all glory be Him alone.

 

(added to the post after the event)

Aventuras en España (Take 3) and Aventure dans France

Had the privilege to attend the 32nd Annual European Association for International Education (EAIE) Conference and Exhibition in Barcelona, Spain, under the auspices or with funding from the Project Antena, with the University of Alicante and nine other universities from the Philippines, including University of Montpellier in France.

32nd Annual EAIE Conference and Exhibition, Barcelona, Spain 

(Photo credits: Dr. Feline Espique of SLU)

 

Lyon and Dijon, France

As part of trying to find more concrete linkages, I also extended my trip to visit three more universities in France (University of Montpellier IUT, ISARA Agroschool for Life in Lyon, France; and L' Institut Agro Dijon in Dijon, France).

University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France

With partners from University of Montpellier with Ma'am Feline Espique of SLU, and Sir Parsons Hail of CLSU 

ISARA, Lyon, France

What Must We Do with the Election Winners

(as posted for the FB group Treasure in Jars of Clay in Northern Luzon)

Whether those whom we voted for won or lost in the election last May 9, the winners will take their oath and assume their responsibilities on June 30. What must we now do with them, most especially with those whom we did not vote for? 

Firstly, let us acknowledge that God institutes or establishes every civil authority (Romans 13:1). As I confessed in my last post, I did not vote for BBM and Sara. But now that they won, whatever Biblical bases I had in not voting for them, I must now recognize them as the ones whom God wills to be our next highest national executive officials. Paul’s statement in Romans 13:1 is clear: “. . . there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” This principle applies, not only to the president and vice president but also to all the other national and local officials who won the election. The final rule and arbiter concerning who should rule our country is, not us and our votes, but God and His sovereign will.

Secondly, let us submit ourselves to these governing authorities. In verses 1-5 of Romans 13, Paul exhorts Christians to submit themselves to the governing authorities because God instituted them to do good to the citizens whom the Christians were among. When we study carefully the “good” that the civil government ruler (magistrate) must do to his constituents we will know that it refers to at least four things: (1) Protection of human life; (2) administration of civil justice; (3) promotion of social harmony; (4) security of civil requirements. Thus, we must submit ourselves to our newly elected government officials because God instituted them to do us these things. Paul explains in the same place that rebelling against them is rebelling against God who instituted them. Peter, in verses 13-17 of the second chapter of his First Epistle, exhorts Christians as Paul does. He adds that they must submit to the governing authorities for the Lord’s sake. The authorities that Peter refers to is the emperor and the governors whom he sent to “punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right” (v.14). Take note that in Peter’s time, the emperor and his governors were killing the Christians because they hated Christianity, yet Peter exhorted God’s people to submit themselves to these authorities.

Thirdly, let us pray for these governing authorities, that is, let us make intercessions and thanksgiving for them “that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (1 Timothy 2:1-2). Paul tells us that doing this is good and “pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 

who desires all people,” that is, all people groups including the civil government officials, “to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3). 

Fourthly, let us disobey in a non-violent way these governing authorities if they will command what the Bible prohibits and prohibit what the Bible commands. In the New Testament time, the governing emperor instituted puppet rulers in the nations that he ruled, including Israel. His puppet rulers in Israel were the king and Judaic religious leaders. These puppet rulers prohibited the Christians from proclaiming the resurrection of Christ and persecuted and incarcerated them for their stubborn actions. We can see in the whole Book of Acts that despite this they insisted on proclaiming the gospel and endured these puppet leaders’ violent treatment without resisting them violently. This descriptive Biblical truth teaches us that we must submit ourselves to our newly elected governing officials if they will fulfill their God-given duties to protect human life, administer civil justice, promote social harmony, and secure civil requirements; but that we must disobey them non-violently if they will make and enforce laws that prohibit what the Bible commands and laws that command what the Bible prohibits. 

Lastly, let all Christians repent and obey God’s laws, and beg for God’s mercy on the church. As I showed in my last post, God does not handpick women to occupy the top seats of the judicial, legislative, and executive branches of our government, and the seats whose occupants can become the chief officials of these branches by the law of succession. I also showed that when God allows women to occupy these seats it means that He is making a testimony against the church’s sinfulness and disobedience to His laws. We have a woman Vice President again, and she can, by the law of succession, become the President. There are also many elected women officials for the chief and vice chief seats at our local government level. Christians like me must not take this lightly. Let us repent and obey God’s words, and beg God to be merciful to us. Let us also ask Him to grant us the strength to overcome the pain of submitting ourselves to these women governing authorities who are monuments of God’s disappointment over His church’s rebelliousness before Him.//

- Rev. Marlon P. Launio (Teaching Elder, Hope Presbyterian Church)

"The important and not urgent"