Are you a fan of jazz? Are you a fan of music?

If you are, then prove it by joining the biggest musical festival in the country this year: The Philippine International Jazz and Arts Festival 2008, which started last 29^th of February in Manila and runs until the 15^th of March. Featured international artists include Lee Ritenour, Kurt Elling, Omar Sosa, Sara Gazarek, Chico and the Gypsies, and Incognito. From local shores we have Johnny Alegre, Bob Aves Group, Toti Fuentes, Gerard Salonga, Manuel Baldemor, and the Brass Munkeys, among others.

The event this year is made more special because the organizer, P.I. Jazz Foundation, is now involved with UNICEF. Efforts are being made to bring jazz to the youth through development programs such as school workshops in Far Eastern University and the University of Santo Tomas, summer music training courses, a talent search contest, and mall tours featuring our top local musicians.

The real reason why I am all hyped up about it, however, is the phenomenal Raul Midón. You’ve simply got to see him! The blind New York City-based singer-songwriter and guitarist will be down at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza to give a free workshop on March 12. And on March 13, he’ll be featured in the main concert with Montreal-based jazz pianist Lorraine Demarais.

For more information, visit the official website at http://www.pijazzfest.com.

This is a victory for UP (and for Education) because our charter change has always been defeated in previous Senate sessions and because of this, I believe that Senate Majority leader Fran­cis Pangilinan, head of the Senate panel which approved this deserves being reelected to his post.

More Information:
Manila Times – Senate OK’s UP charter change as National U

While I have to admit that schools do need to adjust to the inflation rate (and UP has not adjusted its fees for over 20 years) it is truly sad that Higher Education is still a luxury for a majority of Manilenos. Just chalk this up to the 88 out of the 299 schools in Metro Manila that will be hiking their tuition fees and you will have an even sadder state of the country’s education system.

If that’s not clear to you, let’s look at the minimum wage earner (P300 + P50 COLA) who earns an income of P127,400 annually without tax and with 13th month (that’s US$ 2,540 a year). Given this annual family income, they will fall into Bracket D and pay only P300 per unit (the current rate) for their UP scholar.

Next we assume that the student enrolls in 24 units and has a daily allowance of P100 (for books, food, etc), that gives us a total annual cost of P35,200 inclusive of the P7,800 tuition fee (without miscellaneous fees). Deduct the annual cost of education from the annual family income we get P92,200, this means that the family can only live on P256 a day that’s less than US$6 a day for a family of three.

More information:
88 Metro schools hike fees by 10%
Open Letter to the UP Community on the Proposed Tuition Fee Increase

I was never good enough to be part of the school’s debate team when I was a student. I might have misconstrued the whole thing as geeky, too, but nowadays I realize more than ever that eloquence often portends a bright future. So I am writing to support young Filipino college debate students who are about to undertake one of their biggest events ever.

The Philippine Inter-collegiate Debating Championships will be coming to Tarlac this April, through the combined efforts of the University of the Philippines Debate Society (UPDS), the North Philippines Visitors Bureau (NPVB), the Tarlac Conventions and Visitors Bureau (TCVB), and the Aquino Foundation.

From April 13 to 16, over 200 students from various colleges and universities will be gathering in Luisita, Tarlac City for the event touted as the most prestigious Asian Parliamentary debate tournament in the country.

“PIDC 2007: The Ninoy Aquino Cup”, with the theme Filipino Minds, Global Perspectives, was created to foster an arena for college and university students from all over the Philippines to critically discuss the most relevant national and international issues.

Up for grabs is the Ninoy Aquino Cup, aptly named after the Filipino hero whose eloquence and critical awareness inspired the nation. The Ninoy Aquino Cup will be awarded to the top team that will emerge from the 7 preliminary rounds and 4 elimination rounds. These debate rounds will tackle pressing national and international issues, and engage participants in meaningful discourse.

Student participants are already looking forward to the event both as an opportunity to enrich their debating experiences and also as an opportunity to travel this summer. They will be billeted at Microtel Inns and Suites – Luisita while the Aquino Convention Center will serve as the venue for Opening Dinner, Championship Night, and the elimination rounds. Meanwhile, another socials event, the Break Night Party, will be held al fresco at the CocoGrill. Preliminary rounds, on the other hand, will be at the Tarlac National High School. With these preparations, the organizers will be able to showcase Tarlac as a viable tourist destination and conventions venue.

Preparations for PIDC 2007 are already underway as students have begun registering for the event and sponsors have started committing to be part of the event. With UPDS, NPVB, and TCVB at its helm, PIDC 2007 promises to be an event greatly benefiting Tarlac and ultimately, the Filipino youth.

Interested in being a part of PIDC 2007? E-mail the organizers at pidc2007@gmail.com or visit www.pidc-online.com.