THE BARD OF BLAISE
Despite the scorching heat, it is very refreshing to see the City Hall being peppered with tots and teens these days. Thanks to the Sama Summer Together. Let’s chat with City Sports and Games Regulations Officer Franz Reginald Felipe regarding this summertime program of the city government. JG: What is Sama Summer Together? Franz Reginald Felipe: Sama Summer Together With MVF was conceptualized in the year 2005. It is a pet project of Mayor Michael V. Farinas with the intention of offering free sports clinics and arts workshop for the youth of the city during the summertime. The concept of the project is to extend and share the expertise of some of the city employees in the fields of sports and in the arts. In cases that there are no available trainors from the city for the workshops offered, able and expert instructors from the city are tapped to share their talents with a minimum fee. Originally, the courses offered in the area of sports are basketball, volleyball and badminton. While in the field of arts, Sama Summer Together showcased drawing, painting, dancing and theatre arts. JG: I learned that you are now offering new courses. FRF: Last year, voice and singing lessons were added for the arts, while chess was included in the sports aspect. This year we have also added football for sports, and we beefed up the art area with creative writing, public speaking and guitar lessons. Another innovation of the program is the offering of tutorials on general math and computer. JG: What inspired the city government to realize this program? FRF: While it is true that our kids spend a time off from their study desk during summer, Mayor Michael V. Fariñas believes that it should not be a holiday from learning. The mayor believes that the youth can also spend their summertime learning while having fun and be an expert in their field of interests. MVF also took into account that not all of our constituents can afford to enroll their kids to a summer camp. With this in mind, he directed the Community Affairs Office and the Tourism Office to fashion the Sama Summer Together. JG: How’s the response to the program? FRF: This project grows every year. From 110 participants in 2005 to more than 350 participants in 2006, we have more than 1,500 children and teens enrolled in the different courses of Sama Summer Together this year. JG: Do you experience any hindrances in its implementation? FRF: With the increasing number of enrollees, we need bigger rooms and areas to hold classes. We also need more trainors and instructors. JG: Besides Sama Summer Together, are there other programs of the city for the youth? FRF: At present, we have the “Scholars ni MVF” and the regular sports programs for the young ones. The mayor also dreams that the next Sama Summer Together will be held in our own Sports Complex. -o0o- Again, let’s hear from the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP): Delegates from the six pilot cities of IUWRM (Integrated Urban Water Resources Management) project of the LCP participated in two component events which were aimed at assessing the capacity and initiatives of local government units on urban water resource management. Calbayog, Balanga, Surigao, Batangas, Roxas and Samal participated in the IUWRM Course Designing Workshop in Subic, Olongapo City last March 22-24 and IUWRM Policy Modeling Exercise in Balanga City on March 25-28, 2007. Through the creation of technical working groups at the field level, the project team will be working together with the participating cities from planning stage to implementation and evaluation of city water plans. |