School: Iligan City National High School
    Iligan City, Lanao del Norte, Philippines

5 students, ages 14-16 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on March 3, 2007. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): 2006,2007

Classes and Teachers: Annallee Q. Aron

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://www.freewebs.com/iligancity_nationalhighschool

1. Description of Our Community

Iligan City is the first class city in the province of Lanao del Norte, Philippines, and the province’s former capital. It is approximately 800 kilometers southeast of Manila.

Female population in year 2000 reached 1,349,901.Literacy rate for women is 92 % than their male counter parts.

Women play an integral role in our society. Mostly, they are found only at home taking care of their children. Unfortunately, with the closing of some big industrial plants in Iligan City, many workers who depend on these plants had lost their jobs forcing their wives to take the risks of finding ways to sustain their family needs. Due to economic crisis, they come up to the extent that they engaged in some illegal means of finding money. With this problem, our City Mayor Lawrence Ll. Cruz has made some programs concerned for the welfare of the Iliganon women. These women were united in livelihood activities wherein they can earn money, and at the same time their role as a mother and as a wife will not be affected.

With this action, it will encourage women to be involved in the society. This is to show off their talents and skills. Prove that they are not just for homes but also a worthy and productive citizen that could help in the improvement of our nation. It will help protect their rights as women and be a part of our manpower with what we call ‘work ethics’. But for this time, the struggle begins and the challenge for the women has started with this organization.

2. Summary of Our Project

The project is made to show the women cooperativeness, competitiveness, strength and potential to help the community through their programs and activities with regards to economy, man power, livelihood, environmental care and conservation. These women were trained at Agricultural Training Institute at Hinaplanon, Iligan City. Through our interviews, we had found out that they are not only trained for Abaca weaving but also they have Bigasan Project (Rice Project for farmers) and campaign for Proper Waste Disposal. The project found out the role of the participating women in helping the improvement and development of the community. They said that soon they are exporting their Abaca products and be a part of nation’s income. But of course, the project is dependent to the use of technology we had used for the gathering of information.

3. Our Computer and Internet Access

A. Percentage of students using the Internet at home:21-50%

B. Number of workstations with Internet access in the classroom:1

C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dedicated connection

D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:1

E. Additional comments concerning your computer and/or Internet access (Optional):

Internet access started last June 2005 to provide students, teachers, and school personnel to engage in research, classroom use, online collaboration, digital portfolio and communication through entertainment and news update around the country and around the world. The Out of School Adult also benefits from the computer and internet facilities of the school.

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

1. Though we have sets of computers in our school, still there were days that there was no internet connection. Another problem about computer is that all of us don’t know how to design a website, so we’ve done lots of experimenting and thank God that we have made it!

2. As students we have so many activities in school that we need to accomplish for the fact that all of us belong to the science curriculum program, a special science class. At young age, we still don’t have confidence to interview people who are older than us that’s why we have agreed that all of us must overcome our problem in self-confidence. There were also times that we don’t agreed on our ideas but later we have realized that unity is very important among the members in doing a research project.

It’s so hard to gather the informations that we need because the location of the office of the organization that we are studying is too far from our school. We have to travel for about 30 minutes just to reach the location. There were also times that the people that we need to interview are not available so we have to wait for them, and it took a day that we had the chance to talk with them

5. Our Project Sound Bite

We all feel a sense of achievement and fulfillment in knowing that we have contributed to the awareness that women though classified as weaklings in their physical strengths but when they unite, they can do great things such as to give employment, recreation, and service to women who are not capable of earning for their family’s needs. It also made them unite and cooperate for the improvement of the environmentally friendly abaca products and thus giving an opportunity for the modern Filipino women to be trained in the long been forgotten crafts. This project inspires women to go on with their endeavor in helping not only their family but also their fellow women as well.

6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?

It is the thrust of Philippine Education to develop our technological skills and talents and prepare young minds like us to succeed in the 21st Century. This project also gave us the sense of satisfaction that in our own little way we were able to help this special community: Women Organization in our locality by advertising their products in the most modern way. We really like to share this project globally, to enable us to connect each other around the world make this organization as an inspiration to everyone. And we will be all successful as students, as nations and as citizens of the world.

1) What information tools & technologies did you used to complete your CyberFair project?

The internet: The internet which is the most important tool when we are doing our project. Through the used of Internet we could gather much information needed 2. Digital cameras: with the aid of digital cameras we could take as many pictures as we wanted and edited the pictures easily: 3. the websites: it is very convenient to share our ideas with many people around the world through the content and the pictures on our websites. 4. Scanner: In scanning the old photos of the organization.

2) In what ways did you act as "ambassadors" and spokespersons for your CyberFair project both on-line and in person.

It is not easy to become an acting model and be an active representative in our school for this project. Yet we’re young, we still need to be talking like that an old one. We have to express everything we want as valuable for our research. We had visited different barangays in the city and the agencies involved. We used our time wisely and visited some reliable persons and related places.

Before visiting, we made some lists of contact persons whom we can ask and get some information regarding the active Women’s Organization in Agricultural Training Institute at Hinaplanon, Iligan City. We had arranged our time for visit in that place and through telephones and cell phones, we called their spokespersons or representative for the setting up of an interview. We interviewed the women who are actively involved in Abaca Fibers weaving training and wrote down their opinions. We asked their trainers on how they help the jobless women in the community to be involved in Abaca weaving industry and be a part of manpower in Iligan City and in the entire region. We were able to received 10 additional computers from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)because of joining this contest and our free internet connection are extended which is sponsored by Growth Equity in Mindanao and United States Agency for International Development (USAID). We are hoping to receive more computers since the current number could not cater the needs of more than 7,000 students in our school.

3) What has been the impact of your project on your community?

Through this project, we become aware of the roles of the women organizations in our society. Women, instead of being left home can also be productive in the society by joining such creative activities like the making of some handicrafts. With this study, we can further see the potential of Iligan City in producing a globally competitive product. In line with this, we can make these women united in making up a product worth to be proud of.

We learn lots of precious and interesting experiences since we engaged in this project. If we tried to recall beforehand, these abaca products are just being taken for granted without knowing that we can produce it from our own City. Now, we like to learn and research more about what are the potentials that we can get out of it. It was great pleasure that the people appreciated our hard work and were happy about the fact that someone’s noticing the city’s pride. During our visit at Hinaplanon, staffs were happy because we helped them promote Iligan’s capability of producing these products.

Alongside, the best thing is to realize the potential of these women’s in handicraft production, instead of being left at home. Also, we can make the barangays involved to be more cooperative and united in making up a globally competitive product.

4) How did your project involve other members of your community as helpers and volunteers?

The project is really tackling on one of the heaviest provisions in the city. This talks about the new world of industrial revolution in the city through abaca products. And who will make it? Of course the women. Almost every part of the community the local government officials called us for an interview and helped us gather information. We are thankful to Mrs. Maria Lourdes Tiongco for representing DTI for an exclusive interview and for sharing us some informations. Indeed DTI had donated 40 computer units in our school. Without them, this project will not be possible. Mr. Dan Salatandre (Pala-o Barangay Chairman) take it as pleasure to tell his future plans on how to improve this new industry by organizing women of his area of responsibility. Mrs. Interona (COCD President) first introduced to us their enlarging and active organization. And the other governmental and non-governmental agencies like DOLE, TESDA, CDLO, ATI, City Government, ICI and Rotary Iligan North. The cooperation of the women participants in our project really helped us. They became hospitable for welcoming and acknowledging us, pause for a while in weaving just for our interview. This made us smell and feel the greatness of our project.

Most of the help came from our teacher, Mrs. Aron. She talked us through and told us what is expected in this web project. For us to take this seriously, she made this web project a requirement in his advanced chemistry class. Moreover, the previous winners also served as our guide in making our project. It made us realize the importance of making this CyberFair project. We would also like to thank our friends who have helped in the fulfillment of this web project.

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

Just like ordinary youths of our age, we used to have a just a shallow views on any community organizations that we know, until we were able to start this project and know more about it. Now, as a part of our community, we already learned to appreciate such groups with a very nice aim for our fellows. We realized that we should be thankful to the leaders of these organizations with such spirits soaring high and a have very intense passion to help women discover themselves. Upon making this project, we learned how to value our own native products such as those made from indigenous materials like the “abaca”. Aside from the fact that it helps the livelihood of the women in our community, it is also a part of our Filipino culture.

The researchers realized the importance of teamwork and cooperation of all the members. We learned to deal with many people in our community. Time management was a part of all the members of this study. We appreciated the challenges that we have encountered in our way and have learned how to face it all.

After the completion of this project, we were really very proud of ourselves in front of the computer monitor while viewing our own made website! Definitely, this whole experience will be a great treasure for everyone involved in the project!