WELCOME PROGRAM

I. LUPANG HINIRANG, PHILIPPINE NATIONAL ANTHEM led by the FilCom Chorale with Ms. Ruth Obti nario and Mr. Robert Ascue conducti ng

II. INVOCATION Mr. Aaron Inventor

III. MESSAGES FOR THE PRESIDENT from Filcom Representati ves: Mr. Alvir Banti gue, (Filipino Teachers) Mr. Zeno Anino, (Engineers/Skilled Workers) Me. Jamin Rodero (Mission Personnel) and Ms. Blessy Maglacion with John Rio Ancog, LJ Porti llo and Reign Obti nario, (children)

IV. WELCOME ADDRESS Ambassador Belinda Ante

V. THE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGERodrigo Roa Duterte, President of the Republic of the Philippines

VI. Presentati on of Gift to the President Mr. Manny Reniva

VII. DANCE NUMBER: Filipino Teachers of the Australian Internati onal School

VIII. SONG NUMBER: Filipino Teachers of Panyathip Internati onal School and Kietti sack Internati onal School

IX. PHOTO OPPORTUNITY WITH THE PRESIDENT

Masters of Ceremony: Dr. Bernadett e V. Gonzales Mr. Joel Wayne Ganibe

Maligayang pagdati ng sa Vienti ane Laos,

mahal naming Pangulo, Rodrigo Roa Duterte!

Ang aming taos-pusong mensahe sa inyo:

Una ay ang aming pasasalamat sa panunumbalik ng aming ti wala

sa aming pamahalaan at sa pagkakataong maipagmalaki sa

buong mundo na KAYA MO at KAYA NAMIN. Sa inyong pagtugon sa

tunay na hinaing ng taumbayan, baunin n’yo ang aming pagtanggap

sa hamon sa ati ng lipi.

Tama po kayo. Sa pinagsama-sama nati ng malasakit at tapang, nasa ati n ang tagumpay sa likod

ng napakalaking pagsubok sa kakayahan ng bawat Pilipino

sa positi bong pagbabago. KASAMA NYO KAMI!

MABUHAY!

Contents

Message of the Philippine Ambassador in Vienti ane P4

Special Thanks and Acknowledgements to FilCom Organizers P4

Noted Filipino Contributi ons in Laos

Educati on: Co-shaping The Lao Learning Landscape P6

Professionalizing the Teaching Sector P9

Agriculture Sector: Coff ee-lipinos of Laos P10

Top 10 Pinoy Tambayan sa Vienti ane/Luma-Lao Layp si Lolo P14

Lao Survival Words para kay Kabayan P15

Off the Beaten Track/ Cool Selfi e Spots P16

Bloom’s Taxonomy VS UbD P19

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“our beloved Mayor Digong, we are just a handful fi lipino community here in laos, but we sti ll believe the strength of “David” to fi ght goliaths, who undermine your vision on resolving peace and harmony for the fi lipino people.”--Manny Jimenez Reniva

“Dear president: don’t lose hope and be discouraged. Don’t mind the negati ve media and bad press. The fi lipino people know the truth. We are behind you all the way.” --Faith Ruth Villanueva

“Congratulati ons for initi ati ng the peace talk with the NDF. Yes for peace and hoping for a more substanti ve agreement between grp and ndfp to address the fundamental problems of armed confl ict in the Philippines.”--Angie Broncano

”Dear Mr. President: daghang salamat sa imong tabang kanamo sa Tacloban City pila ka adlaw human sa Yolanda. I am one of the Yolanda survivors who were given your emergency assistance at Tacloban astrodome. Sadly I had to leave my beloved province to seek greener pasture in this very hospitable country, Laos. Hangaran han tanan nga Yolanda survivors, an amon kinasingkasing nga pasasalamat, damo nga salamat ug mabuhay ka!” --Marwin Astorga

“Sa aming pinakamamahal na Pangulong Duterte maraming salamat sa inyong pag visita dito sa Laos. Mabuhay ang Filipinos in Laos” --Eleah Alesin

“Sa mahal na Pangulo,ituloy lang po ang war sa droga, corrupti on at sa ti waling politi ko para sa next generati ons benefi ts.i will support u 100%.” --Gloria Piano

“Mabuhay po kyo President Duterte..ngayon po nagkakaisa ang mga Filipino sa buong mundo..lalo na po dito sa Laos suportado po nmin kyo..100% para sa pagbabago”.--Rod Tiqui Cunanan

“Thank you Mr. President for your unconditi onal love and sacrifi ces for our beloved country. May god use you mighti ly and shield you daily from the snares of the enemy! Long live!”--Rowena Nafi anog“Mr. President, you will always have my respect.”--Mhiz Jhongs

“Maraming salamat Mr President sa pag bisita mo sa amin dto sa Laos...mabuhay

po kayo....gogogo pilipinas!”--Vanessa Mariano

“To our beloved president Rodrigo Duterte, thanks for hearing the voices of the Filipinos to run as a president of the Republic of the Philippines. We believe that you have a capacity to lead the country and you have a great desire to make the Philippines as a great nati on in terms of clean governance, peace, unity and prosperity. Don’t mind the antagonists surround you. May God bless you as you lead the Philippines. We, as your supporters in Laos are excited to see you! Mabuhay ang Pangulong Duterte. Mabuhay ang mga pilipino saan mang sulok ng mundo! Mabuhay ang bansang Pilipinas. We love you Mr. President.”--rudzskies cabaya cabristante

“Mr President, I am confi dently thanking you that you became the leader of our country..thank you for helping Filipinos be in the right directi on of their lives..for rising up people who were drowned in life diffi culti es..we hope that you will conti nue rising up our deeply corrupted country..our love and support will always be with you..may you and your leadership be blessed by our Lord God always and forever..thanks for the love Mr President.” --zaina aubree

“Mr. President. You are very vulnerable. You already have a lots of enemies out there waiti ng for the right ti me to strike. We know your brave enough, so brave that you can say that your old enough and ready to die and who cares... With out a powerful leader as you, we will then can say once again that Philippines is considered dead. We need you to live long, accomplish your goals, the changed has come at the ti me you sitt ed as the President. Kaya p***** *** mo ‘wag kag mamamatay because we care.. Shout out to all handsome volunteer security personels!”--lhez hardgrind opana

“Maraming salamat po! Mr.President dahil tunay ka sa iyong salita at buong puso mong ipinaglalaban ang ati ng bansang sinilangan. Akoy saludo sayo!yes sir! 3 stars and a sun.” --ti mow icezenburg

“As a wife of a police offi cer in the PNP, thank you for taking care of the police force. Thank you for lift ing the morale of the few good men in the service. Thank you for taking care of my husband, while I am working as an OFW. I believe that

your assurances give them more courage.As a mother to a teenage daughter, thank you for making our communiti es safer, so when I come back I can let my daughter perhaps, ride the jeepney to school alone or walk the streets of the city with less fear together. I think this is a measure of good governance, if your eff orts trickle down to the common people.”--lizzy liza liz

“Maligayang pagdati ng mahal naming Pangulo Rodrigo Roa Duterte , bilang ofw kami po ay nanabik sa inyong pagdati ng at nagpapasalamat na napagbigyan nyo kaming mga OFW sa Laos ng kahit na kunti ng oras na marinig ang inyong munkahi at pasasalamat sa amin, napakasarap sa pandinig na ang ama ng aming bayan ay tumutupad sa kanyang tungkulin para sa bayan na handang ibuwis ang kanyang buhay anumang oras, araw at lugar dahil mahal nya ang ati ng bayan. Kayo po ay nagbibigay inspirasyon, lakas at katahimikan sa aming mga OFW at sa mga mamamayang Pilipino dahil alam namin na di nyo kayang ipahamak ang ati ng bayan at ang inyong mga mamamayan, bagkos ipagmalaki ito sa buong mundo na ang droga ,korupsyon at kriminalidad ay mawawala na sa bansang Pilipinas. Mabuhay po kyo at ang bansang pilipinas...maraming salamat po sa pagbabago tatay digong..!!”--malone watt alone sott o

“Maraming salamat sir, President sa pag bisita sa amin dito sa Laos, salamat sa pagmamahal sa ati ng bansa, alam namin na ginagawa niyo ang lahat para sa kapayapaan at ikabubuti ng lahat. God bless po!” --lalaine fronda

“As a simple fi lipino citi zen who have tried her luck here in lao pdr it is a privileged to be a part of your journey being the president of the philippines. We hope you conti nue the batt le against drugs and criminaliti es. We pray for conti nuous guidance of our god that he will bless you with good health and keep you safe. We want to see the country survived at the end with you. With so much pride and joy, thank you and godbless you mr. President!”--syra belleza

FILIPINO TEACHERS are assets of every school in Laos. They have unselfi shly fi lled in the gap of teacher supply versus demand in private schools. To date, based on the latest poll

(August 2016) conducted, there are at least 188 Filipino teachers and staff employed in various internati onal and bilingual schools in Lao People’s Democrati c Republic. Breakdown is as follows: 35 in Kietti sack Internati onal School, 31 in Panyathip Internati onal School, 28 in Vienti ane Patt ana, 26 in Neerada, 25 in Sengdara Bilingual School, 18 in Australian Internati onal School, 15 in Eastern Star Bilingual School, and 10 in Vienti ane Glory School. There are other local schools which employ Filipino teachers which are not menti oned here.

To celebrate the hard work, success and unrelenti ng contributi ons to the Lao learning environment, Dr. Gonzales att empts to capture their thoughts and dreams. They were asked: 1) What do you think is your greatest contributi on to the Lao learning environment and why?; 2) How are you able to contribute to the improvement of the quality of educati on in Laos?; 3) If given the chance to join the teaching force in the Philippines, would you gladly go back and share your knowledge and experience to our country? Why or why not? What is your message to our President Rodrigo Roa Duterte?

Jose Ruthchan Porti llo, School Principal, Australian Internati onal School (AIS). “As School Principal, I head a team of teaching staff of various nati onaliti es to deliver primary and secondary educati on using the Australian and Cambridge curricula. I have created programs to cater to the diff erent student segments, including the

implementati on of Advanced Learning Program (ALP) and Support Program (SP). The programs provide modular instructi on

with curriculum-based content and are conducted through a variety of experienti al acti viti es and multi -disciplinary pedagogical approaches. Our aim is for students to be globally competi ti ve. Our main focus is to ensure that our students will be able to achieve academic excellence and develop an understanding of the local, nati onal and global environments. We expose our students to real life situati ons. As part of our school’s community sharing strategy, we provide educati on programs to out-of- school youth in Laos. Further, we provide reading books to remote areas because we want all children to have equal opportunity and access to quality educati on. If given the chance to join the teaching force in the Philippines, I will be more than happy to share my knowledge and experiences to my country. I want to impart my enthusiasm and passion for improving the quality of educati on. It is very rewarding to able to get the best out of your students.

Karen Maglacion. Pre-Primary Head/Kindergarten Teacher, Kietti sack Internati onal School. “I think my greatest contributi on to the Lao learning environment is curriculum designing for very young learners whose ages range from 2-6 years old. It was really a challenge considering the fact that I had to design and produce acti vity books that cater to the developmental needs of these very young ones. Moreover, I am also part of the School’s Management Staff where I work and plan with other educators on how to give quality educati on to our students. I believe I was able to contribute to the improvement of the quality of educati on in Laos by: creati ng a positi ve atti tude towards educati on in partnership with the whole

Dr. Bernadett e Gonzales, Filipina Internati onal Educati on expert, has been one of the stalwarts consistently championing the cause of Filipino educators, especially in Lao PDR. She leads a team of Internati onal Educati on experts (also mostly Filipinos) who have been helping implement educati on reforms by expand Access, Quality and Management Capacity with the Ministry of Educati on and Sports

(MOES) as key advisers for Asian Development Bank [ADB] Grant 0257 (Secondary Educati on Sector Development Project: SESDP Laos). Since 2010 they have been repeatedly recognized for excellence in implementati on. While working on the project, Dr. Gonzales has also been designing and delivering conti nuous professional educati on (CPE) support schemes for Filipino teachers in Laos. In beginning this series of exclusive arti cles, Gonzales appreciates the strategic perspecti ve of how the Philippines through its teachers in the basic educati on sectors in various countries across Asia, has come into a unique positi on as a major co-shaper of the emerging 21st century ASEAN educati onal landscape. According to her, “There is always a Filipino behind the success of every internati onal or bilingual school in Laos. While Swiss and Japanese people are known for their effi ciency, the Americans for their eff ecti veness and entrepreneurship, the Filipino genius is on building relati onships; thus Filipino teachers carry the reputati on of being naturally nurturing, industrious, competent and eff ecti ve (n.i.c.e.).”

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school system using my skills in teaching; sharing what I learned through experiences and trainings; conti nuously learning from others; being refl ecti ve, and doing the best I can to help students learn and shape their behaviours. Quality educati on is not only measured by how good the curriculum or the school system is, but by how the teacher positi vely impacts the lives of his/her students who are the central part of our educati onal eff orts. Should there be an opportunity, I consider it an honor to be able to work in our beloved country, not just to share my knowledge and experiences in teaching, but to help infl uence the lives of our nati on’s future – the Filipino children. Salute to all Filipino Teachers in the Philippines and abroad! Jorybelle Costa, Pre-primary Department Head Vienti ane, Patt ana School. “My colleagues and I have successfully communicated to our Lao counterparts the importance of creati ng a dynamic learning environment, where each child’s

need is met. This is an apt contributi on considering that Laos’ educati onal system tends to sti ll conform to traditi onal and rigid teaching practi ces which do not only hamper children’s academic performance but more so, imbue lack of self-confi dence among them. Having worked for Vienti ane Patt ana for more than a decade now, I owe it to the school, myself and most importantly to my students, to hone my skills as an educator. I enrolled in a Language and Literacy Educati on program of the University of the Philippines Open University. The said experience helped me lead our team to conti nually nurture a love for teaching and it has been giving our pre-prime students the privilege of enjoying literature- based lessons which develop their love for books, reading and learning. In ti me, I would love to go home. There is no greater joy than being able to foster and take part in empowering the Filipino youth.”

Annie Inventor. Kindergarten 2 Homeroom Teacher, Sengdara Internati onal Bilingual School. “As a teacher, I fi rst build a personal relati onship with my Lao students. I’ve discovered that learning is eff ecti ve when they trust you. I understand

their needs and reach out to them in ways that will inspire them to learn. It is good to share your life to them pati ently. I have been given the opportunity to not only teach students in an internati onal school but also the chance to teach poor students in a village school during weekends. I need to assess students in a variety of ways to enable me to constantly develop strategies to improve their achievements. Enthusiasm helps in inspiring them in improving their learning. Our passion and giving our best do matt er a lot in producing excellent student learning outcome. It is such a nice experience to work as a teacher in Laos. But as the saying goes, “There is no place like home.” I’ve been thinking of returning back to the Philippines so that I can share my inspirati on and passion to my countrymen instead. It is my desire to share

my learnings and also be an inspirati on to others.

Alexander Moreno, Year 4 Teacher Kietti sack Internati onal School. “I think that my greatest contributi on to the Lao learning environment was being one of the presenters of Lao TESOL conference in 2014 and 2015. It was a delight

collaborati ng with mostly Lao teachers from diff erent provinces about the new trends and best classroom practi ces. I was able to share my personal experiences in English teaching in a foreign country which included discussions on overcoming learning barriers.“In my view, it is important to devise att racti ve and relevant programs in partnership with school to att ract more parent parti cipati on like opening a webpage with links to good parenti ng skills, conducti ng camps, family day, reunions and other related events spearheaded by parent body organizati on to empower them. The more acti ve the parents are, the bett er the performance of their children will be in school acti viti es.

Given the chance, I would be happy to go home and teach because sharing of what we know is a way to help address systemic ignorance and mediocrity. We have so much to learn from each other if we do away with the boundaries of culture, race and tongue. It will be a great honor to share what I learned from teaching here, especially my discovery of diverse practi ces that may be applicable and benefi cial contrary to what maybe taboo and unproducti ve

Cont’d next pageP7

in my home country. With ASEAN integrati on, Filipino teachers will be in high demand in the other Asian countries, thus the

Philippine Government must recognize the need to invest in world-class pre-service educati on.”

Bruce M. Gesmundo, Vice Director, Nam Theun 2 School, English Director, Sengsavanh School. “The Lao learning environment has been developing gradually through the aid of educators from diff erent countries including the Filipino teachers. English language literacy, I believe, is my greatest contributi on. The rise of the demand of English

language teachers made my way to extend service to Laos. I have been teaching English to diverse learners with diff erent linguisti c levels since the ti me I came here. It is my duty as a tutor, teacher, and English director to ensure that learning happens, and that learners can speak, write and communicate in English. Quality is earned and achieved, and is not an overnight matt er. In this fi eld of work, I study, scheme, analyze, organize, manage, create, assess and revise my learning plans and strategies. I believe in the ingenuity of Filipinos in creati ng a very harmonious learning atmosphere that makes learning fun and exciti ng. As tutors, Filipinos are uniquely diff erent from other nati onals because we care a lot for our students. We are a proud bunch of eff ecti ve educators; change catalysts, who can help conti nually contribute to the improvement of the Lao educati onal landscape.Yes, I know that opportuniti es are there in my homeland, however opportuniti es off shore are numerous and are more att racti ve to me as a young teacher-adventurer. I want to learn and grow and adapt to diverse learning contexts, and Laos has given me such opportunity. Maybe someday, I’ll go back home for good and give my best service to my compatriots.”

Alvir Banti gue, Head, Administrati ve Department, Panyathip Internati onal School. I think my greatest contributi on to the Lao learning environment is my desire and drive to eff ecti vely educate my Lao students and moti vate them with passion and commitment to make a diff erence for their country fi rst and to the world because without this passion and commitment; the educati onal process would not be eff ecti ve and the lessons taught not as masterfully learned.

By developing the most innovati ve teaching practi ces that are applicable to the learning style of Lao learners to ensure that learning happens. By making these innovati ons a direct response to the actual needs of Lao students and teachers to make sure that new practi ces are applicable to the Lao context.Absolutely, I want to go home if there would be a chance because I have always dreamed of educati ng the young minds of this new generati on and share with them my experiences and hoping it can inspire them as they build a bett er Philippines.#WeFilLaos

TEACHERS...cont’d

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PROFESSIONALIZING THE TEACHING SECTOR IN LAOS By: Faith Ruth Villanueva

As lead consultant for the Ministry of Educati on & Sports (MOES), Dr. Bernadett e Gonzales, President and CEO ofInternati onal Technology Management Corp. (INTEM), understood the the need for teachers to have a conti nuing professional development course. It began as a series of workshops to ground teachers in basic learning theory and the latest scaff olding techniques conducted by herself and BESDP/SESDP Deputy Team Leader for Educati on Quality, Joel Wayne Ganibe. Together with Mr. Simon Valenzuela and the support of the Philippine Embassy, the fi rst Experienti al Learning for Instructors Training Enhancement (ELITE), a 5 module course for Filipino Teachers in Laos was organized in 2013. Closing

ceremonies were held at the Philippine Embassy in Vienti ane. Graduates of the course had immediate enhancements to their set of training credenti als but more importantly have become more eff ecti ve learning facilitators.

“We need to up the ante for teachers so that the quality of teaching will improve, especially for the Filipino teachers.” Dr. Gonzales said. With her own team helping the Laos Ministry of Educati on & Sports install bett er quality measures, she expected similar developments to

nearby Thailand, where teachers will now be required to show formal teaching diploma before being allowed to

teach.

As an off shoot of its ELITE, Dr. Gonzales initi ated a partnership between INTEM and the Bago City College (BCC) to provide conti nuous professional educati on (CPE) services to Filipino Teachers in Lao PDR through the Teacher Certi fi cate Program (TCP). No less than the President and Dean of BCC and its college of educati on has accompanied the team of professors for the onsite Assessment of the fi rst course cohort on November 27-29, 2015. As a result, 29 students, already teachers in Laos, fi nished the Teacher’s Certi fi cate for Professionalism 1 (TCP 1) program on October 2015, garnering 18 units in Educati on.

As of pressti me, the professional development course that Dr. Gonzales initi ated is now categorized into three groups: (1) the Bachelor of Educati on Program for undergrad students, (2) the Teacher’s Certi fi cate for Professionalism 1 (TCP 1) – for college degree holders to acquire 18 units of Educati on (as a qualifi cati on for the Philippine Licensure Exam for Teachers), and (3) Teacher’s Certi fi cate for Professionalism 2 (TCP 2) – an additi onal 18 Educati on units for students who wish to acquire a Diploma in Teaching degree. This

coming October 2016, twelve students will be graduati ng with a Diploma in Teaching degree. Out of the 12 students, one will be taking the LET exam this coming September 2016.

The program has given such an impression on Mrs. Cecille Yasay, wife of the Philippine Foreign Aff airs Secretary Perfecto Yasay, on her recent visit to the teaching site that she has already made inquiries on possible links with Bago City College so that the program will also be replicated in other countries. INTEM conti nuous to design

and implement enabling soluti ons for funders, implementers and benefi ciaries for social development and transformati on. Also, in the future, Dr. Gonzales is planning to conti nue with masteral programs in Educati on. #WeFilLaos

Dr. Gorgonio George T. Parroco, President of Bago City College (BCC) and his team fl ew to Laos for the Certi fi cati on/ Assessment Exams for batch 1.

TCP studentstake a break

from class to campaign

for change#DU30Laos

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“Even though I ended up losing four of my fi ngers in my right hand while cleaning the coff ee mill machine last year, we conti nue to help local Lao farm-ers to boost producti on and improve the quality of their produce,” explained Mr. Gilbert Suico in an online interview with WeFilLaos. Suico lost four of his fi ngers someti me last year while operati ng a coff ee mill machine and man-ually removing rott en coff ee cherry to avoid mixing with the new cherries under producti on stage. Since then, he is now learning to use his left hand in writi ng and doing his daily routi ne in his offi ce to conti nuously improve the lives of the local farmers and invigorati ng the Lao coff ee industry.

Mr. Gilbert Suico is a nati ve of Balindong, Kidapawan City in Cotabato who graduated from University of Southern Mindanao (USM) with a degree in Animal Science. He took his master’s degree in Public Administrati on at Father Saturnino Urios University, in Butuan City. Aft er fi nishing studies, Suico worked in the Philippines and other South East Asian countries as Consultant, supervisor and trainer on soil and water conservati on, types of farming, tropical fruits and crops producti on, reforestati on programs, livestock producti on and management (dairy goats and cows, poultry, piggery, catt le fatt ening, organic farming system and sustainable farming as a whole under the programs of Asian Rural Life Development Foundati on (ARLDF) and Mindanao Bapti st Rural Life Center (MBRLC) of Kinuskusan, Bansalan, Davao Del Sur, Philippines.

He came to Laos in March 2007 by invitati on of Bolaven Farms with oper-ati ons in Champasak province and other areas in the Bolaven Plateau. This is his 9th year of the 13 year program, managing the in country operati ons from plantati on in organic coff ee farm, special processing of coff ee cherry to dry green coff ee beans, sorti ng as specialty coff ee, maintaining standards for export as well as the roasti ng to cupping operati on in order to meet interna-ti onal quality as specialty standard coff ee.

Among other Filipinos working in Bolaven is Mr. Josil Samoy, a nati ve of Lapinigan, San Francisco, Agusan Del Sur. A graduate of BS-Agriculture from Central Mindanao University, Bukidnon – Cum Laude, he has worked with farmers and stakeholders in the Agriculture sector for both private and gov-

LAO PDR is an agricultural economy just like any other ASEAN country. As it aims to be self-suffi cient in basic agricultural products it looks to coff ee as one of its most dependable crops in the highland regions. It is

the fi ft h largest export earner for the country accounti ng for 0.25% of the world producti on (FAO Report).

The strategy to move producti on now to higher-value entailed engaging Agriculture experts in coff ee culti vati on to introduce new technologies and more competi ti ve producti on approaches for quality. This opened the door for Filipino experts in Farming and Agriculture to work and live in Laos and help local farmers and coff ee producers increase their yield. WeFilLaos found at least fi ve Filipinos working in diff erent companies and coff ee plantati ons in the Bolaven Plateau not to menti on other areas in the country, working as consultants, agronomists and fi eld technicians.

The COFFEE-lipinoys in Laos

(From L-R) Mr. Gilbert Suico together with Dr. Manuel Diaz of the Specialty Coff ee Associati on of America (SCAA) and high caliber coff ee consultant Dr. Dan Kunh of India in a rare photo opportunity

Agronomist Mr. Josil Samoy (in fati gue hat and blue sweatshirt) teaching farmers in Coff ee Seedling Nursery Transplanti ng at Xekatam Estate,

Paksong, Champasak, Laos

Mr. Suico (left ) supervises Taste Test. The coff ee industry in Lao PDR is a mixture of smallholder and large estates.

Management systems range from high input intensive systems to smallholders with zero inputs and low yields.

Josil Samoy (in red) with LAOS Coff ee Team of Outspan Bolovens Limited – An OLAM Company

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Quoti ng Mr. Suico, “If all Lao coff ee beans have to maintain these scores, we will have world class coff ee products that can compete with Columbia. We can demand the price far away from the dictate of world market price and the farmers will be very happy with the special price, that is our goal in the next years to come and I see it is doable to achieve because I see the parti al development this ti me with the help of Filipino experts.”

In this process, the Filipinos in Laos are not content be “mere observers” or someone simply concerned with earning a living. They must also be a catalyst for positi ve change and would want to take part of what this country needs to be able to do. Though most of the Filipinos in this sector work in plantati ons, in a research stati on or in close compound agricultural faciliti es, they sti ll strive to infl uence others by sharing their knowledge to counterparts.

“We were given the chance to train local people in proper crop management, ferti lizer applicati on and chemical use which are key areas they needed to improve in their farming methods. Infl uencing them to take care of the environment is as valuable as taking care of themselves. Social works have been introduced by the big companies to the local people and villages in which the company operates through trainings on proper waste disposal, proper chemical use and even providing crèche for small children to learn basic educati on.” Samoy disclosed.

As OFW’s away from beloved family and country, courage, dedicati on and the willingness to help others to improve and become self-suffi cient, makes Filipinos disti nct from their counterparts from other countries. They take to heart their host country and its peoples, making Lao PDR, their second home away from home. #WeFilLaos (with reports from Josil Samoy)

ernment enterprises in the corn and coff ee in- dustry. He came to work in Laos through an online applicati on with Bolaven Limited in December 2015 as an agronomist specializing in plant growth, pest control and disease preventi on for the coff ee farm. He carefully monitors plant responses to drought and soil conditi ons thus involving himself from seedling to planti ng up to harvesti ng including crop management and maintenance.

As with all OFWs, Josil decided to work abroad to support the family needs. Since the death of his father, he became the breadwinner, helping provide for the educati on needs of his 7 nephews and nieces.

“BREW”-fessional Challenge

“The big challenge when it comes to working and training local farmers is the working ethics and standard of performance especially of local company staff . They don’t seem to care much about the quality of work and most of the ti me, you need to do it yourself hoping they will follow. If you are too strict in imple-menti ng your standards, everybody will just quit because they simply have many opti ons to move.” Suico explained.

“Finding honest and hardworking staff is very diffi cult but by working by example, slowly we have changed the local work culture by teaching them to love what they do and give more heart to helping others develop their potenti al in the farming fi eld.” Suico added.

According to Samoy, when he started, his greatest challenge was the language barrier. Only few of the staff and farmers can speak basic English, making it diffi cult to provide instructi ons and to help them to fully understand what was truly meant. Adaptati on of technology was a bit slow and they needed constant reminders.

“Working in a country of many diff erences from language, to religion and culture is a great challenge yet it is also an opportunity for learning and understanding new things. With these diff erences, take up of new ideas and technology is slow. As for the local people, they were just contented with what they have; the farming practi ces and management were mostly what has been used for ages and passed down from generati on to generati on.

“For all the Filipinos in Lao PDR, going along with the locals is not that really hard even if we are foreigners. Our common characteristi cs of being friendly and hospitable draw us closer to them especially if one can speak their language and can eat their local food. They will treat us as no strangers to them.” Samoy said.

This is the reason why multi nati onal companies prefer Filipinos to handle skill specifi c jobs most especially in the agriculture sector. Although there are also experts from other countries such as India, Vietnam and Columbia, the Filipinos are very notable because they would work in the fi eld together with the coff ee farmers to train them hand-in-hand and ensure eff ecti ve transfer of knowledge.

MILESTONES “BEAN”-efi ts and CONTRIBUTIONS

Over the years, the team of Filipinos working in Bolaven have helped gain for Lao coff ee, an improved average score of 87 points (by Dr. Manuel Diaz, SCAA) by the Specialty Coff ee Associati on of America (SCAA) with their highland robusta coff ee special process.

Obtaining this score from the SCAA Standards, meant higher price value of fi nished products from the farmer’s level alone. As for Lao Arabica coff ee, the latest score of Bolaven produce this year is 86 points compared to other coff ee producers with a score of 82 to 84 points. (To increase even just one point score is no mean feat.)

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friends, have selfi es by the statue and even have some coff ee nearby or a glass of beer and some grilled fi sh or meat. They also like to stare at the river, reminding them of their own ilog, karayan, bati s or even seashore (o sige, sama na ang mga kanal) from the motherland.

3. Eversince the Vienti ane Center opened, pinoys have been able to enjoy internati onal movies at the 4th Floor, with original English dubs and not just the usual Thai with English capti ons. There’s popcorn and if you get hungry there’s a food court on the 3rd fl oor. So yes, we saw Finding Dory and Suicide Squad and...(oh my, dami ko na namiss!)

4. Sengdara Fitness/Gym for fi tness conscious pinoys, hitti ng the gym and hanging out with friends there, is also popular. This acti vity actually includes any kind of sports such as basketball or volleyball practi ce or any sports

Opportunity knocks once. When it knocks, greet and grab it. In the course of performing my duty, I didn’t think of proving my capabiliti es and skills to anyone. I just did what I thought was best to achieve a nice career and a fulfi lling life. ‘Yun lang talaga.

I do what I love to do and love what I do. There’s nothing more fulfi lling than doing what you love and what you are desti ned to do. Ang dami kong natutunan na mga strategies, methods and lessons from my superiors, fellow and uncle. I believe we should not stop from learning new things. Sa hangarin kong matuto ng iba’t ibang bagay, nabigyan ako ng varied tasks ni Kuya. Kinailangan kung magdoble kayod para mameet ang deadlines. Kinailangan kong maagang maglog-out sa FB. Kinailangan kong matulog ng konti ng oras lamang. Kinailangan kong mag-conceptualize sa mga projects at marami pang iba.

Teaching has never been easy. Kahit nasa bahay na ako, work-related pa rin inaatupag ko. Why? Kasi gusto ko ang trabaho ko and I want to get things done. Dito ko naramdaman at naranasan ‘yung sinasabi nilang buhay OFW. Kailangan magsumikap para sa pamilya at sa kinabukasan. Mahirap man dahil malayo sa pamilya, kailangang lumaban.

Sa ngayon, ako ay iti nalaga bilang English Department Head ng isang bilingual school sa Vienti ane at Project Manager sa isang paaralan sa probinsya. Hindi ko inakala na darati ng ito ngunit nagpapasalamat ako. Akalain mo, magbebente-tres palang ako sa ika-6 ng Setyembre. Mabuhay tayong mga Pinoy sa Laos! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! #WeFilLaos

fl owers bloom where they are

planted

Pinoy Tambayan sa VientianeWe were curious to know the favorite “tambayan” (hangout place) for the Filipinos in Vienti ane. The great thing about pinoys is that being one of the most sociable people on earth, they take naturally to social media. So of course, there is a facebook group! (Created by Ms. Jules Rivera, a Filipina teacher in Vienti ane Pat-tana School, www.facebook.com/groups/179174555474982/ has been there since 2011.)

So we simply created a poll (yup, for those who bothered to parti cipate some freebies will be raffl ed off later) and found out the following:

1. While they like to make gala/pasyal/suroy-suroy--pinoys are typically homebodies. So the number 1 tambayan is actually, home! We can only guess what exactly they’re doing but for sure, FB-ing is one.

2. Next on their fave list is the Mekong Park/Night Market where people go to jog, join aerobics exercises, shop around the night market or just stroll around and meet

“Sabaidee.” Yun yung bati ng stewardess sa akin nang nag-aantay ako for boarding papuntang Watt ay Airport, Laos. Sus, napangiti ako pagkasabi niya ‘nun. Yung huling syllable kasi ng salitang iyon ay ang pangalan rin ng aking long-ti me crush. hehe. Uyy. May pacrush-crush pa amp@#$. Di, biro lang. (Actually, seryoso ako. Parinig lang baka nababasa niya ‘to.)

Bumiyahe ako mag-isa papuntang Laos upang maranasan ang buhay OFW. Gusto ko talagang maranasang magturo sa ibang bansa. ‘Yun bang magtuturo ka ng English kahit di mo naman nati ve language kasi gusto mo. (Parang sa love, di ka man nya mahal, inibig mo parin siya dahil gusto mo. Ouch! Hahay, ang buhay nga naman. Humuhugoat?)

A week aft er coming to Laos, nagsimula na akong mag-submit ng CV sa iba’t ibang schools dito sa Vienti ane, Capital. S’yempre may konti ng kaba at pressure sa fi rst hoped internati onal employment ko.

Pumunta kami sa mga schools kasama sina ti to at ti ta. All out support sila. I felt hopeless aft er getti ng no results in a week. Binibigyan ko kasi ng target ti me ang sarili ko. Last term na

kasi noong nag-apply ako. Too early to apply for the next school year at too late to apply for the present school year. Kaya inisip ko matatagalan pa. Pero sila uncle and aunti e ay hopeful na hopeful na makakapasok ako. Dahil bumaba yung morale ko, nanood ako ng moti vati onal videos at dun na-revive ako.

Gabi ng March 23, 2016, bandang 6:00 pm, may nag-inform sa akin na kaibigan (maasahan talaga mga kaibigan ano?) na iinterbyuhen daw ako ng principal ng isang internati onal school at 7pm. Sa oras na iyon, di ko na naisip kumain dahil sa excitement at aggressiveness na mainterbyu at ma-hire. Isang pirasong watermelon na nga lang yung kinain ko eh. Bago natapos yung interview, sinabihan ako na tanggap na ako at magsisimula na ako bukas, ora mismo. Yehey! Ang saya saya namin, parang nanalo ng lott o. And that night, about 3 hours lang ang tulog ko dahil sa over-excitement gaya nung night before graduati on ko.

Nagsimula na akong magturo ng English Enrichment sa years 3 to 12. Sinabi ko sa sarili ko na ibibigay ko ang buong puso ko sa trabahong ito. Alam ko na hindi lahat ay nabibigyan ng pagkakataong gaya nito.

for that matt er (the FilCom has its annual “pa-liga” competi ti ons).5. Hitti ng number 4 is Pizza Company (any of its branches across Vienti ane) ti ed in with Parisiene Cafe. Perhaps regardless of brand, there’s something about pizza and pinoys and “kape” that seem to go well together when the budget allows. Incidentally, only here in Vienti ane that I got to

taste and love the four cheese ( pronounced by locals as “ p o r c h i t h ” ) pizza at Aria restaurant back when the Italian Chef hadn’t spun off with his own

restaurant.

Numbers 6 to 10 ti ed in on scores/votes: Joma Cafe, the Spirit House (by the Mekong), That Luang and traditi onal Lao Saunas and then trailed by the Floati ng Restaurant/Hard Rock Cafe for nature-tripping and rock and rolling parti cipants. #WeFilLaos

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Beyond the usual sight-seeing places that the city of Vienti ane has to off er, hidden gems await the pati ent explorer. Our in-house explorer gets off the beaten track to fi nd us some close-by adventures. In this issue she features 2 places not too familiar even to some locals,

BanThana Club RestaurantTwo kms away, on the right side from the clock tower roundabout on Tadeua Road (Soi 10, Ban Thana), lies a small relaxing villa owned by a French couple. The place off ers a large swimming pool, a jacuzzi, a children’s pool, and a petanque bowling area. Their restaurant also off ers French, Lebanese, European, and Asian cuisine where every ingredient is taken from their homemade garden. The place is open from 9am – 6pm. For more inquiries, contact Philippe at (+856) 20-77449781 or email them at banthana.residence@gmail.com. (photo grabbed from their Website: www.vienti ane-banthana-restaurant.com/?p=54 )

Riverti me Ecolodge Resort and Floati ng RestaurantAbout 22 km from downtown, this ecolodge sits on the bank of the Nam Ngum river and is less than an hour’s drive from Vienti ane city. The rooms are moderately-priced (as low as $10) and are built from natural, local materials. Aside from eati ng in their fl oati ng restaurant, there are also hiking trails, a fl oati ng swimming pool, and a nearby local village of the Hmong and Lao Loum ethnic groups. For more inquiries, call Sam (Lao-American) at (+856) 20-58105267 or visit their website www.riverti melaos.com as it provides informati on, including how to go there even using local transportati on. (photos grabbed from their website: www.riverti melaos.com). [You also have the opti on of a similar trip ala Loboc River of Bohol if you go straight to the bridge of NamNgum to the resorts below by the river bank and take a lazy cruise while sipping on cold Beer Lao and a variety of available nati ve pulutan--Ed]

Tune in again next ish for another adventure close by! Not known for the typical traveller, expect Petra D’ Explorer to bring us to some “what the--?!!” kinda experience. Don’t miss!!!

Selfi e Spots

We know. There are ti mes when you are in a nice new place and you wanted to go around but had very litt le ti me. If you’re covering the ASEAN Summit, or just passing through for a day, we understand so we shortlisted cool places within Vienti ane Capital to have great selfi es to share! Hire a tuktuk for a day or any of the yellow taxis waiti ng near the Lao Plaza (which is like almost the center of the city). Ask them to bring you to :

1.That Luang (Golden Stupa). Unahin mo na ‘to sa umaga at magpakuha sa may reclining Buddha. Bawal ang shorts or mini-skirt dahil holy place ito sa kanila. You can take 20 minutes and selfi e on unlimited angles around before proceeding to the next iti nerary.

2. Patuxai (Lao Arc d ‘triumph) It’s like the one in Paris except this one is in Laos. Right in the middle of Lane Xang avenue, you can use this as your visual marker. Climb the stairs and take your “bird’s view” shots then you can ask fellow tourists or even bystanders to take your jump shots.

3. That Dam or Black Stupa. Take a selfi e and you have choices of eati ng the famous Pho Saep (lao noodles) nearby (just ask anyone on the street “Yu Sai Foh sep?) or try the Larp Kai (chicken larp) in Chateau Du Laos right in front of the stupa. Mula diyan tanungin mo na kung saan ang...

4. Nam Phu (fountain) which is great for aft ernoon shots with the multi -colors and the bars around. You can enjoy what we call “Kenli” music (basta katunog tama naman tono)

5. Buddha Park. If it’s sti ll too early for that beer and lights fountain, then you may head over about 30 minutes drive to the Buddha Park where you get to see a

bigger reclining Buddha and lots of interesti ng sculptures of ancient lore.Okay, go now! Selfi e pa more! #WeFilLaos

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Why Australian International School is the best school choice for your child

So you want only the best school in Vienti ane to enroll your beloved child? If we may ask, what factors do you consider in choosing an ideal school that is conducive to his or her learning? We know for a fact that kids don’t learn in the same way. A child learns best in a fear-free environment, where he or she is engaged in various fun acti viti es.

Look for a school that takes into considerati on a sensible approach to the individual child’s abiliti es and the way he or she learns. Be intelligent not to decide on a school that only allows parents to pay a visit on designated days, but instead readily welcomes them any ti me to observe around its campus.

AIS ensures a student-centered approach which does not totally give everything a child wants based on caprices. It actually looks at the whole child and develops in his or her character good relati onships with their school mates, mentors and the school itself.

PhilosophyThe Australian Internati onal School (AIS) aims to prepare its students in the most eff ecti ve way to meet the globalizing challenges of the 21st century by providing them with a wealth of experiences and resources. Our main objecti ves are to ensure our children can achieve academic excellence and develop an understanding of the local, nati onal and global environments. AIS is an internati onal community where people’s rights, respect, health, intellect, good ethics and positi ve social behavior are promoted.

VisionAIS aims to always provide the best quality and most updated educati on to its students in order to reach internati onal standards and eventually become the leading academic insti tuti on in Laos with diplomas recognized worldwide.

We want each student att ending AIS to excel in Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Academics, and become passionate lifelong learners and future leaders with a desire to contribute to the development of both our country and the global community.

Our missionWe engage ourselves to nurture, empower, develop, guide and mentor our students to excel academically, socially and personally.We are committ ed to providing our students with the fi nest infrastructures, teaching materials and globally experienced and caring teachers. We will always strive to ensure our students develop a desire to Excel, Win and Lead in everything they do.Finally, we will always try our very best to help each and every student to develop their full intellectual and human potenti al.”

AIS course off eringsPre-schoolThe preschool curriculum is built on the concept that children should have fun and engaging classes. Language Arts, Numeracy, World

Discovery, Music Star, Picasso Star, Dance Star, and Physical Educati on. Elementary Department Curriculum and Quality AssuranceThe Australian Internati onal School of Laos off ers the NSW Australian Curriculum. It provides a balanced combinati on of direct teaching and enquiry based learning, supported by a strong co-curricular program (CCP).It is the only school in the country to off er the Australian NAPLAN (Nati onal Assessment for Literacy and Numeracy) exams to guarantee the parents and students that we are following the Australian standards.

Secondary Department Curriculum and Selecti ve Entry ProgramThe Selecti ve High School of the Australian Internati onal School of Laos off ers two curricula, the NSW Australian Curriculum from Year 7-9 and IGCSE Cambridge Curriculum from Year 10-12. The program provides an opportunity for students to receive the Internati onal General Certi fi cate of Secondary Educati on (IGCSE) upon fi nishing Year 12.

AIS’ Internati onal Exposures Just last school year, AIS has been a fi xture in various internati onal events. This is to refl ect to reality its mission statement to uphold its promise to acti vely be involved in an internati onal community where people’s rights, respect, health, intellect, good ethics and positi ve social behavior are promoted.

Mr. Jose Rutchan Porti llo, AIS school principal graced the Asia Leadership Summit in Singapore as speaker and chair of a panel discussion on Interfacing with Assisti ve Technology for SEN: How can SEN professionals become comfortable with technology when the diversity of products is so huge?

On the other hand, seven students of the Australian Internati onal School have made happen a ‘fi rst in history’ when they represented the enti re Laos PDR educati on sector at the Asian English Olympics (AEO) held in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The AIS students who made the country proud are Cao Ngoc Houng Xayachak, Cao Ngoc Tu Xayachak, Mounthava Sisomphou, Namfonh Kethongsa, Metana Inthavong, Darasavanh Sisavong and Southida Nouansengsy. They were accompanied by Mr. Elnar Nalangan, a faculty member.

Four AIS students joined the recently concluded summer camp in Australia, an opportunity that other students don’t get to experience. The lucky students are Thaksin Sisavong, John Cena, Along Outhoumphone and Marvin who all enjoyed mingling with a diverse nati onaliti es and parti cipati ng in various camp acti viti es.Classes in AIS will start on September 1, 2016.

Tel: 021 264 800 Mobile 020 2222 0526 website: www.aisedulaos.com Email: info@aisedulaos.com

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Parang laban ng mga gagamba lang nu’ng araw na nauwi sa Superman Vs. Batman bago naging Voltes V vs Mazinger Z. Ito naman ang take ng WeFilLaos EIC sa usaping marahil ay nakaka-intriga sa mga Filipino educators sa Laos man o sa buong mundo (sa FB, hanapin ang “Pinoy, Guro sa Mundo” www.facebook.com/Pinoy.Guro.saMundo).

I like to look at the taxonomy of thinking skills both as a ladder (hierarchy) and/or as a spec-trum of colors that smoothly blend into one another. By including context (which means you had to analyze your situati on) and knowledge and skill (the level of mastery in applying your

knowledge) into such a big word “understanding” Wiggins &McTighe created a curious prob-lem for me as a student of learning and instructi onal design.

Look at the defi niti on of understanding in UbD above. By using words like, “wisely and eff ec-ti vely” as well as “context” means there was some analyzing and evaluati ng (in Bloom’s revised taxonomy) already involved. And yet they disti nguished “knowledge” from “skill”. So, to clarify: Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy (see: htt p://ww2.odu.edu/educ/roverbau/Bloom/blooms_taxono-my.htm to compare the original taxonomy and the revision) refers specifi cally to thinking skills while UbD refers to Atti tude, Skills and Knowledge (ASK) [Some educators prefer KSAV (knowl-edge, skills, atti tudes, values)] fi nding relevance and applicati on in a specifi c situati on.

Let’s represent this: From my Math lesson, I learned that the shortest distance from one point to another is a straight line. Can I use this in real life? From a map, I traced the various routes with a ruler, I know that the shortest travel ti me from Point A to Point B is through route X.

Per Bloom’s revised taxonomy, I remember that, and I understand as well. Applying this, I should take my car and use route X to get to my meeti ng. However, today is Friday, where the traffi c “color-coding” rule is that vehicles with plate numbers ending in zero (like mine) cannot pass through route X from 8:00 am to 10:00am and then 2:00-7:00 pm. I analyzed that route X is not good for me in my current context or situati on. I now need to evaluate other opti ons and create a decision. I need to go to Point B for a meeti ng. Per UbD, I had to understand that it’s not enough to know that the shortest travel ti me from Point A to Point B was route X, and apply this knowledge to determine my route. I had to be able to wisely and eff ecti vely apply this knowledge, in a real world context of it being a Friday and the col-or-coding rule in eff ect on route X. This is my real setti ng. I had to connect and relate the principle of Math that the shortest distance from one point to another is a straight line (route X may have more straight lines rather than circuitous turns) to a real world setti ng of other rules and limits that

I learned in Civics (ethics/respect of rules for the good of society such as obeying traffi c rules).

I had to have this “big picture” of other opti ons and the ability to create a soluti on. Opti ons like, I can travel between 10:01 am and 1:59

pm or aft er 7:00 pm. I can also travel before 8:00 am and park somewhere and take public transportati on to my meeti ng place. I can reset my meeti ng ti me to aft er 7:00 pm or even just cancel my meeti ng today. Now I have to analyze the consequences of each op-ti on such as losing credibility or losing the deal I need to make. I have both knowledge and skill (I can drive my car very well through traffi c in a way that no one should noti ce my plate number), how about atti tude? Do I care about traffi c rules? Can I just bribe the traffi c offi cer if I get caught? Do I even care about this per-son I want to meet?

So far, no confl ict between Bloom’s Revised Taxono-my of thinking skills and the UbD except in the defi ni-ti on of “understanding”.

Both are very useful in determining learning strategy and tacti cs or designing a “learning path” for my stu-dents and helping me determine core subject matt er content that my fellow teachers can emphasize so that my school comes up among “the best”.

We want to work as a team so that while we teach our own subject specialti es we are conscious of our end-product: the best and the brightest.

To make more sense to me I needed the help of an-other, big English word called: COMPETENCE (sets of knowledge, skills and atti tudes required to suc-cessfully perform a parti cular task stated in specifi c terms) which seems to be what the two are referring to when they menti on “understanding”.

“Some scholars see “competence” as a combinati on of practi cal and theoreti cal knowledge, cogniti ve skills, behavior and values used to improve perfor-mance; or as the state or quality of being adequately or well qualifi ed, having the ability to perform a spe-cifi c role. For instance, life, management competency might include systems thinking and emoti onal intelli-gence, and skills in infl uence and negoti ati on.

Competency is also used as a more general descrip-ti on of the requirements of human beings in organi-zati ons and communiti es.

Competency is someti mes thought of as being shown in acti on in a situati on and context that might be diff er-ent the next ti me a person has to act. In emergencies, competent people may react to a situati on following behaviors they have previously found to s u c c e e d . To be com-petent a p e r s o n w o u l d need to be able to in-terpret the s i t u a t i o n in the context and to have a repertoire of possible acti ons to take and have trained in the possible ac-ti ons in the repertoire, if this is relevant. Regardless of training, competency would grow through expe-rience and the extent of an individual to learn and adapt.”—wikipedia

Thus, using SCAMPER technique, where I “substi tute” the word “understanding” with the word “competen-cy”--dare we say that UbD then is also actually ”Com-petency building by design”—? #WeFilLaos

BLOOM’S REVISED TAXONOMY VS UBD By: Joel Wayne Ganibe

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What does it mean for us who are responsible for training the future teachers?--It means we need to continuously analyze and evaluate our curriculum and materials so that it remains relevant to the real world. It is no longer WHAT TO LEARN but HOW TO LEARN, UNLEARN and RELEARN. We need to be expert lifelong learners our-selves, so that we can help build lifelong learners.

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Sabi ni Mr. Thui Silitan, isang government offi cial and business person, “Filipino expats in our country, I have observed, have that strong command of the English language. They are naturally friendly and easy to be

with. Add to that my fi rst-hand experience of the hospitality of the people in the Philippines some years back when I had a job training there. I appreciate their kindness.” Kaya nag-enjoy daw sya nang husto sa Mindanao.

“Filipinos always wear a big smile. I have some Filipino friends who told me that behind their smiles they actually go through a lot of really tough ti mes and suff ering. They miss their families back home, but have to sacrifi ce being away from them,” sabi naman ni Mr. Van Thong Khon Udom who is an award winning cook.

“What I like in my Filipino friends is their having that culture where friends and even strangers are treated like family. To them giving is so much a part of everyday life and sharing is so natural.” Yan naman ang mga Pinoy para kay Ms. Nahlee Kamvoungsa, isang government hospital nurse.

“Filipino expats in Laos are very admirable because most of them are successful in diff erent jobs. As a matt er of fact they are very resilient.” Mas madali raw makapag-adjust sa kanilang mga kasamahan at maging mga employers ang mga Pinoy kasi agad nilang naiinti ndihan ang mga cultural sensiti viti es ng mga Lao. Si Ajarn Davahn, isang dati ng kasamahang guro sa aking pinagtuturuang school ang nagsabi nyan.

“For me, Filipinos are the friendliest and kindest people one could ever meet. With their always ready smiles, they seem to be the happiest people on Earth. Most of them, if not all, love to sing karaoke and they could really sing so well. They also love to dance whenever there is an occasion to celebrate. Filipinos are a very talented lot.” Napaka-sociable daw ng mga Pinoy, sabi naman ni Miss Phunkphilakone

They say, Filipinos thrive in every nook and cranny of the world. Yes, as an OFW myself, I could att est to the veracity of that im-pression. Let’s add to that though. We do shine in our respecti ve fi elds. Kahit saan tayo dalhin ay madali tayong nakakapag-adjust. But let us fi nd out more in the words of local Lao people, who we crossed paths with while gallivant-ing here in Vienti ane--their impressions about us Filipinos. Let us know how they see us as employees, as colleagues, as friends, and as a people in general. Ano nga ba ang masasabi ng mga Lao sa ati ng mga Pinoy?

at fi rst I was wondering why they have to work in Laos their stories could att est that they are proud of the Philippines. My Filipino friends are incredibly welcoming and nice. And while most Asian people are very reserved, including us Lao, the Filipinos are diff erent because they are so natural and easy to befriend,” sabi naman ni Nangphot Philavong, may-ari ng isang resort-hotel.

“I fi nd the Filipinos a very hard working people. They have some kind of natural confi dence in putti ng to work a measure of initi ati ve, and doing any assigned tasks without complaints. More oft en than not, they would not complain but rather try to exhaust ways to make things work out fi rst before quitti ng. And amazingly, it oft en works for them!” Employer si Mr. Jamkhan Sengsourinha ng ilang Pinoy sa Laos.

“I have Filipino teachers, and they are very pati ent with us. They are very good teachers.” Ito naman ang maikling sagot ni Anyta Phimmasone, isa sa mga estudyante ko sa Australian Internati onal School.

Nakakabilib talaga tayong mga Pinoy, kahit saan man tayo dalhin ng mga paa nati n sa mundo. Kailangan pa bang ipangalandakan nati n ang pagkama-talento, matalino, masipag at mati yaga at kung ano pang magagandang diskrepsyon sa ati n ng ibang lahi? Alam na this! #WeFilLaos

You need POWER, only when you want to do something HARMFUL otherwise, LOVE is enough to get everything DONE.

-- Charlie ChaplinP22

Khampasong na isang school offi ce employee.

“I’ve met many Filipinos while traveling, and my encounter of them abroad has made me realize that they are some of the friendliest. The ones I encountered outside of Laos and the ones I have befriended here at home are very the same—NICE!” Ito naman ang pagkaka-describe ni Mr. Vanah Siangvot na nagtuturo sa isang government primary school.

“I have visited Some Filipino friends at the places where they stay here in Vienti ane, and I fi nd them to be very welcoming and hospitable. I was always treated like a family. One thing more, I get to practi ce speaking English when I’m with them. Many of my friends are teachers and I think they are very good at teaching.” Nagpapasalamat daw si Miss Nalisa Xaiyasith na nagkaroon siya ng mga kaibigang Pinoy, lalo na at natututo siyang mag English.

“Filipinos are a very passionate people. And while

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