ROUND 1

FEATURE WRITING - ENGLISH AND FILIPINO - ELEMENTARY AND

SECONDARY
Read the following article and write a feature. Demonstrate creative presentation of facts and
realities. Observe unity of ideas, coherence, and emphasis. Your output must be at least seven (7)
paragraphs for elementary and nine (9) for secondary.
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Death toll in Davao de Oro landslide climbs to 27 after burying mining workers
James Relativo - Philstar.com - February 10, 2024 | 2:24pm

MANILA, Philippines — More casualties are being tallied by government officials following a deadly
landslide that occurred in Maco, Davao de Oro that buried two buses carrying workers of Apex Mining Co.
Inc.

The fatalities from the incident last Tuesday have since risen to 27, according to data shared to the media
by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Saturday.

Among the 151 casualties include:

 dead: 27
 injured: 35
 missing: 89

"A total of 1,315 families / 5,318 persons in 4 barangays in Maco, Davao de Oro were affected," said the
NDRRMC in a statement.

"A total of 62 houses were totally damaged."

A two-month-old infant and and 3-year-old child were earlier rescued by officials from the Philippine Red
Cross after being under the rubble of the landslide for over three days.

Progressive worker's group Kilusang Mayo Uno last Friday demanded for an independent investigation
regarding the incident to figure out if the large scale mining operations and labor practices of Apex
contributed to the immense number of deaths.

Amihan and LPA

On Wednesday, Apex Mining Co. attributed the landslide to the heavy rains that poured on Brgy. Masara in
Maco in the last two weeks.

It could be remembered that the northeast monsoon and trough of a low pressure area affected the Davao
Region, Northern Mindanao, Caraga and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao —
bringing floods and rain-induced landslides.

Collectively, over 1.22 million persons were affected by the weather disturbance, displacing around
359,014 Mindanaoans.

Over P583.4 million in damages were so far recorded by the council, with around P153.7 million in
assistance provided for affected residents of Davao Region and Caraga.

ROUND 2
FEATURE WRITING - ENGLISH AND FILIPINO - SECONDARY LEVEL
Read the following article and write a feature. Demonstrate creative presentation of facts and realities. Observe
unity of ideas, coherence, and emphasis. Your output must be at least nine (9) paragraphs.
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Scenario 1

Rock band Coldplay returned to Manila again for their ‘Music of the Spheres World Tour’ last January 19 to 20 at the
Philippine Arena in Bulacan.

So what happens usually before large-scale concerts like this: concertgoers are given wristbands (or Xylobands in this
case, because Coldplay), that are supposed to be returned at the end of the show. They have a tradition wherein
they show the turnout of wristbands and the Philippines has only reached 87%.

On the recycling leaderboard displayed after day 1, Japan leads with 97%, followed by Denmark with 96%, and
Malaysia with 90%.

Upon knowing this information, Filipinos took to social media to express their disappointment regarding the
wristband turnaround issue.

Scenario 1

Singer-songwriter Chris Martin learned about Metro Manila’s “completely insane” traffic jams the hard way, and he
immortalized this experience by way of a song, which he performed on the second night of Coldplay’s “Music of the
Spheres” concert last January 20 at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.

Manila’s legendary gridlocks appeared to have made quite an impression on Martin — who visited the country for
the second time for a concert — that the Grammy winner was able to compose a ballad with his acoustic guitar,
presumably thinking of that time he was caught in traffic.

“Yesterday we sang about Manila in the rain. But we’re not gonna sing that song again… Oh, we can’t wait to play
Manila again but the traffic here is completely insane. There’s only one thing that remains, the traffic in Manila is
completely insane,” sang Martin.

“If you wanna drive somewhere then I’m warning you, a two-mile drive will take a week or two. If you wanna get
back home in time for your bath, well I’d allow yourself about a year and a half,” the lyrics said.

Scenario 3

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday said that he tried not to cause traffic as much as possible when he
attended the concert of British rock band Coldplay at the Philippine Arena.

“The other thing I try to avoid is to cause traffic — because when I go [somewhere], it’s embarrassing sometimes…
everybody has to stop… I try as little as possible to cause traffic,” said Marcos in an exclusive interview on “24 Oras”
on GMA.

Marcos admitted he would also want to maximize his time.

The president made the statement in response to criticism of his use of the presidential helicopter going to and from
the concert.

ROUND 2
FEATURE WRITING - ENGLISH AND FILIPINO - ELEMENTARY LEVEL
Read the following article and write a feature. Demonstrate creative presentation of facts and realities. Observe
unity of ideas, coherence, and emphasis. Your output must be at least seven (7) paragraphs.

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DepEd urged: Let SY 2024-2025 return to old school calendar

The Department of Education (DepEd) should revert School Year 2024-2025 to the old school calendar, a House
legislator said Saturday.

Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said the return to a June-March school calendar “is a huge leap forward
for our students, parents, and teachers” amid worsening climate change. He also noted that going back to the old
school calendar would be a big boost to domestic tourism.

“With the worsening climate change, they need not suffer under extreme conditions and risk their health,” Barbers
said in a statement Saturday.

“With summer vacation returning, our domestic tourism will have a most needed boost as families can again enjoy
going on vacations around the country, a tradition that was lost when the school calendar was changed years ago.
This will greatly contribute to the recovery of the local economy,” he also said.

Barbers added that the old school calendar could allow the youth to help their parents whose livelihood involves
farming during harvest time.

Barbers expressed confidence that Vice President and concurrent DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte will heed the call.

“Children can enjoy playing outside once again, something they lost when the break fell during the rainy season.
Playing is vital in the social formation of the children. It is not a trivial matter and we know that VP Sara fully
understands. Let us all hope that she will make the right decision in restoring our culture and traditions,” he said.
ROUND 3
FEATURE WRITING - ENGLISH AND FILIPINO - ELEMENTARY LEVEL
Read the following article and write a feature. Demonstrate creative presentation of facts and realities. Observe
unity of ideas, coherence, and emphasis. Your output must be at least seven (7) paragraphs.

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Angat Dam water level drops below 212 meters

Bella Cariaso - The Philippine Star

The water level of Angat Dam dropped to 211.68 meters amid the threat of the El Niño weather phenomenon,
according to the state weather bureau.

The dam’s normal high water level is 212 meters.

As of 6 a.m. yesterday, Angat Dam’s water level decreased by 0.14 meters.

Other dams in Luzon also recorded declining water levels, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and
Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

Based on the PAGASA Hydrometeorology Division’s monitoring, the water level of Ipo Dam in Bulacan dropped to
98.04 meters, which was below its normal high water level of 101 meters.

The dam’s water level was previously 98.13 meters.

The water level of La Mesa Dam in Quezon City also dropped to 78.98 meters or 0.08 meters below its previous level
of 79.06 meters.

Ambuklao Dam in Benguet dropped to 751.42 meters (from 751.45 meters); San Roque Dam in Pangasinan, 252.41
meters (from 252.79 meters); Pantabangan Dam in Nueva Ecija, 194.21 meters (from 194.39 meters); Magat Dam in
Isabela, 185.64 meters (from 185.98 meters), and Caliraya Dam in Laguna, 286.63 meters (from 286.75 meters).

Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage and System division manager Patrick Dizon earlier said that based on the
MWSS projection last month, Angat Dam’s water level could reach 178 meters by the end of June.

Angat Dam supplies more than 90 percent of Metro Manila’s potable water needs and provides for the irrigation
needs of 25,000 hectares of farmlands in Bulacan and Pampanga.

ROUND 3
FEATURE WRITING - ENGLISH AND FILIPINO - SECONDARY LEVEL
Read the following article and write a feature. Demonstrate creative presentation of facts and realities. Observe
unity of ideas, coherence, and emphasis. Your output must be at least nine (9) paragraphs.
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Senate, House clash over people’s initiative for Charter change

Jeannette I. Andrade, Marlon Ramos - @inquirerdotnet - Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:20 AM January 24, 2024

MANILA, Philippines — The two chambers of Congress may be headed for a showdown as Senate leaders on Tuesday
lambasted the House of Representatives for its supposed duplicity in continuing to push for Charter change through
a people’s initiative after agreeing to pursue the process via a joint resolution.

In an unprecedented move, the 24-member Senate unanimously approved a manifesto opposing the people’s
initiative, saying the process would undermine the country’s democracy as it proposed that Congress vote jointly on
revising the 1987 Constitution.

“Today, the Senate once again stands as a bastion of democracy as it rejects this brazen attempt to violate the
Constitution, the country and our people. This Senate of the people will not allow itself to be silenced,” the senators
said in a manifesto read by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri during the plenary session.

“This singular and seemingly innocuous change in the Constitution will open the floodgates to a wave of
amendments and revisions that will erode the nation as we know it,” they warned.

“To allow joint voting will destroy the delicate balance on which our hard-won democracy rests. It will destabilize the
principle of bicameralism and our system of checks and balances,” the senators added.

Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva said many of his colleagues had already lost interest in passing Resolution of
Both Houses No. 6 (RBH 6) after learning that the chiefs of staff of several House members were the ones behind the
nationwide campaign to collect signatures in support of the people’s initiative.

Challenge to speaker

Villanueva and Deputy Majority Leader JV Ejercito both challenged Speaker Martin Romualdez to speak up against
the people’s initiative after Sen. Ronald dela Rosa claimed that district representatives had named Romualdez as
behind the undertaking.

Romualdez earlier announced that the House would support the resolution filed by Zubiri limiting the proposed
modifications to three specific economic provisions of the Constitution.

According to Zubiri, the resolution was a result of his consultation with Romualdez and President Marcos, who was
allegedly also opposed to the people’s initiative (See related story on this page). “This is ‘fake initiative,’ not people’s
initiative … That’s why I call on my friends from the House to stop this,” Villanueva said in a media briefing.

Asked if Romualdez should publicly ask those behind the people’s initiative to stop their signature drive, he said:
“That is … perhaps obviously needed in order for us to feel that we are talking with [our counterparts].”

As to whether the House could still be trusted to support the joint resolution, he replied: “It’s obviously the main
reason [why] a lot of senators are not interested in pushing for the joint resolution [anymore].”In a statement,
Romualdez defended the people’s initiative, calling it “a direct expression of the people’s will, providing a means for
citizens to propose constitutional amendments.”

He added that the House does not endorse or sanction the direct participation of members in gathering signatures to
ensure the integrity and independence of the process.
“I vehemently denounce any allegations of bribery or unethical practices in persuading citizens to sign the petition
for the People’s Initiative. Such actions, if true, would violate the initiative’s spirit of honest and voluntary
participation and erode our democratic foundations,” Romualdez said.

True representation

According to him, the House is committed to providing “a transparent and accountable framework to support the
people’s initiative, ensuring that it remains a true representation of the people’s collective will.”

“We are here to support and respect the outcomes of this process, affirming the People’s Initiative as the purest
form of democracy,” he said.

On the other hand, House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe expressed their “profound disappointment” over
Villanueva’s statement that senators would no longer push for the approval of RBH 6.

Senate officially rejects people's initiative via manifesto

Wilnard Bacelonia - January 23, 2024, 7:02 pm

MANILA – Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri read on Tuesday a manifesto signed by all 24 senators, expressing
their disapproval of the people's initiative (PI), which allegedly involves bribery and other illegal activities, as a way to
pursue Charter change.

Zubiri said the PI only seeks for both houses of Congress to act as a Constituent assembly and vote jointly.

"While it seems simple, the goal is apparent -- to make it easier to revise the Constitution by eliminating the Senate
from the equation. It is an obvious prelude to further amendments, revisions, or even an overhaul of our entire
Constitution," he said.

Zubiri said the joint voting will "destroy the delicate balance on which our hard-won democracy rests" and "will
destabilize the principle of bicameralism and our system of checks and balances."

"If this PI prospers, further changes to the Constitution can be done with or without the Senate's approval, or worse,
even absent all the senators. Should Congress vote jointly in a Constituent assembly, the Senate and its 24 members
cannot cast any meaningful vote against the 316 members of the House of Representatives. This singular and
seemingly innocuous change in the Constitution will open the floodgates to a wave of amendments and revisions
that will erode the nation as we know it," Zubiri said.

The Senate President also cited "most radical proposals like foreign ownership and the removal of term limits, or
even a "no election scenario" in 2025 or in 2028 which cannot be prevented by senators if the PI will succeed.

Zubiri also cited the proposal to be "ridiculous" considering that the Senate, a co-equal chamber of the House of
Representatives, which have been both working together to pass local bills, "will have a dispensable and diluted role
in Charter Change -- the most monumental act of policymaking concerning the highest law in the land."

"Today, the Senate once again stands as a bastion of democracy, as it rejects this brazen attempt to violate the
Constitution, the country, and our people. This Senate of the people will not allow itself to be silenced," he said.

The Senate, through its Committee on Electoral Reforms and People's Participation chaired by Senator Imee Marcos,
is set to probe on the PI bribe reports. (PNA)