School: Zamboanga del Norte National High School
    Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines

5 students, ages 13-15 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on February 28, 2008. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): 2005

Classes and Teachers: Zyhrine Mayormita

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://www.znnhsdipolog.cjb.net

1. Description of Our Community

Dipolog City, located in the Southern Philippines, sits on the Western edge of Mindanao Island, at the Northwestern rim of the Zamboanga Peninsula. The city has an area of 24, 113 hectares mostly rolling hills with lowland along its western coast facing Sulu Sea for its over a hundred thousand residents majority of which trace their roots to the Visayan-speaking of the Philippines and around a thousand foreign nations who have made Dipolog their home. A significant number of Chinese reside in the city. The city is indeed a perfect island of rich culture, ethic and historical heritage in a progressive urban setting.

Dipolog is known for its wild orchids and its sardine industry which stems from the rich fishing area off its shores. The city has six coastal areas where thousands of residents engage in fishing and fish processing. The city is called “Bottled sardines Capital of the Philippines,” because of its flourishing large and small-scale industries and start-up entrepreneur on the bottled sardines. The province of Zamboanga del Norte, with Dipolog City as its capital, provides seven out of ten bottled sardines sold and consumed in the Country today. A bottle of sardines has become a favorite and popular “pasalubong” or send-off treat of tourists, to friends and relatives from a visit to Dipolog.

2. Summary of Our Project

Dipolog city has developed into a vibrant city since its declaration as a city in 1925. As the local government is steering the destiny of the city towards a vision to become a trading hub of Northwestern Mindanao primarily by way of its Bottle Sardines industry, we, as students would like to do our share of fulfilling that vision. This CyberFair project will give the youth and other uninformed Dipolognons a better understanding on the importance of the industry to our city and the country and that the industry could actually become our legacy to future generations.

Furthermore, the CyberFair project would like to show how the whole community is working to ensure that the industry would thrive and grow at the fastest pace possible. This is our way of creating more possible major trades and investment opportunities in the region.

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:none

C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dial-up modem

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

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

'Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal'

A few of the problems that we have encountered is lack of time-management. We have to manage our time to allow us to work on this project, even for just 30 minutes a day. We have overcame this problem by doing first all our homework and research works before working on the site.

Also, the lack of internet connection in school was also a problem. We worked in our classmate's home to avail of the internet connection. Also, there is a great distance between our school and their home so distance also is our problem. Despite of that, we have still finished this project.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

'Opportunities are usually disguised as hardwork, so most people don't recognize them.' - Ann Landers

Learning something takes time and effort. Collating the information is even more so. Only hardwork and sustained determination can bring together unique individuals to come up with something worthwhile.

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

We have a research subject in school and is part of our current curriculum. We are taught of the different skills in doing research and we applied it in doing this project.

Because many of our friends use the internet, we believe that the internet is also a good place for teaching and learning. People all over the world can see and access the information on various topics, without visiting the place themselves.

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

(1) Digital Camera: We used the digital camera to take pictures for our project. (2) LCD Projector: To help us present our project. (3) USB Flash Drive: Serves as storage media for our project. (4) Internet: To search more online information related to our project. (5) Computer software: (5.a) Microsoft Publisher 2007: Web making. (5.b.1) Adobe Photoshop CS2/3/7.0 (5.b.2) CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 12: To browse and improve the quality of the digital images. (5.c) Internet Explorer: To serve as testing module. (5.d) Mozilla Firefox: Browser used in searching the relative information from the web. (5.e) Google Earth: For visualizing the location of Dipolog City. (5.f) Adobe Flash Player/Shockwave Flash Player: For allowing display of flash files. (5.g) Microsoft Word 2007: To write drafts, reports and researches. (6) Interviews: (6.a) Victor Miranda: Personal Interview last November 2007. (6.b) Department of Trade and Industry (Zamboanga del Norte): Interview with DTI personnel last November 2007.

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

(1) The Collection of Data: It all started with the Research class teacher’s announcement that the class is joining the CyberFair with an entry on Sardines Industry in Dipolog. The students in groups were assigned topics to research from different sources – from their parents and old folks in the city, from Bottled Sardines manufacture – both large and small scales, from businessmen, from local information agency and Department of Trade and Industry, and from the Internet. Having done all these, the students were able to communicate the activity to other individuals inside and outside of school. At the same time the students were able to accumulate knowledge of the topic.

The collection of data was done by personal interviews conducted by the researchers. On-the-spot interviews using an interview schedule on questions about the awareness and import of the Bottled Sardines Industry to the city and region prepared and ask to respondent from different sectors of the society-ordinary citizen, businessmen, student, professionals, government officials, etc. This activity generated attention from the local residents.

We are just glad that the individuals we interviewed generously offered their time and whatever information they know about our research.

(2) The Web-Making: The moment we ported our research reporter on our website, we realized that we are doing the project neither for ourselves nor for our own local community only but we are opening doors for others to know and appreciate our project. News of a website on Bottled Sardines industry under construction by 2nd year students looked the interest of teachers and other students in school. They can’t wait to see what we have done.

(3) Public Presentation- oral and written: The 2nd year research classes will have their Science Fair and Oral Defense this 1st week of March 2008. The researchers of this cyber fair project find it a good opportunity to present to the audience- teachers and students and even parents of students and other local residents the CyberFair project- it’s making and how it came to be.

In addition, the researchers will also prepare hard copies of the cyber fair project for the library hub and for distribution to the local agencies who were part and parcel of the realization of their project.

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

The Bottled Sardines Industry in Dipolog City exemplifies: (1) a strong family and community enterprises grounded on values of cooperation, hardwork and dedication. A number of small scale industries in bottled sardines in the city are run by families. While husbands are busy casting their nets in the sea to get good catch of “pirit”, “sambagon”, “malasugi” and the famous “tuloy” and “malangsi” fish varieties; the wives and children are kept busy bottling the catch in local processing industries usually managed by cooperatives with government support.

(2) A Promising Labor Intensive Industry Bottled Sardines Industry is labor intensive. Hence, any expansion in production entails a reciprocal increase in employment opportunity. This employment opportunity mutually benefits linkages such as farmers, marginal fisherfolk, local distributors of oil, caps and glass jars label printing industry among others.

The staunch support of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) by assisting the sardines industries in promoting bottled sardines through local and national trade fair is but remarkable. The agency is also conducting trainings and seminars for produce development and workers productivity improvement. Through the initiative of DTI-ZdN, the sardines manufacturer of the province including Dipolog City were organized and formed as an association. The SEC-registered association called ISDA (Inglass Sardines of Dipolog Association) plays an important role in the industry.

This CyberFair project serves as an avenue in recognizing the collaborative efforts made by the government officials and other sectors of society to foster the unlimited potentials of bottled sardines in becoming the lead economic mover in Dipolog City and Zamboanga del Norte.

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

Our project involved the bottle sardines manufacturers - both large and small scale, businessmen, local information agency and the Department of Trade and Industry.

Bottled sardines manufacturers gave us the ways of processing from catching to bottling and some of the data on their products. Department of Trade and Industry gave us more data about the bottled sardines industry and pictures of the different sardines.

We would like to thank them for a job well done because we believe that we cannot finish this project without their help.