The Cagayan de Oro Historical and Cultural Commission (Hiscom) and the Department of Education Cagayan de Oro Division of City Schools are collaborating on creating the first local history textbook for public school students in the city.
Archbishop Antonio Ledesma gives an inspirational talk to the participants (photo by Mike Baños, NPN)
Last August 9-11, 2017, the project completed its second phase with the “Validation and Evaluation of Local History Book of Cagayan de Oro” at a local hotel where the output from the first WriteShop earlier compiled by the DepEd’s pool of writers from local historical sources were copy edited and vetted for accuracy and correctness.
Dr. Erlinda M. Burton, Hiscom chairperson, suggested the follow-up activity after Hiscom commissioners conducted a first pass review of the first Writeshop Output which covers Cagayan de Oro’s pre-history until the end of the Spanish colonial rule in Philippines in 1898 when the country was ceded to the United States of America and the Philippine-American War began.
Teachers from various DepEd Schools served as the Writers Pool for the 2nd WriteShop (photo by Mike Baños, NPN)
Fr. Daniel D. Coronel, SSJV, Hiscom Co-Chair and Mr. Romeo Aclo, Education Supervisor for Araling Panlipunan, DepEd Cagayan de Oro Division of City Schools, spearheaded the activity.
Also participating were other local institutions like the History Department of Xavier University represented by Kristian Ian S. Sulmayor, History Dept Chair; and Charlito Lorzano, Asst Director of the ACDO Archives and Land Records Office.
According to Mr. Aclo, this is the first such initiative from a DepEd Division to formulate such as textbook on local history based on local historical sources and is being eyed by the DepEd to be the model/template for similar projects in other DepEd areas.
Paricipants to the 2nd Write Shop pose for posterity with Hiscom, DepEd, ACDO and XU History Dept officials (photo by Mike Baños, NPN)
The next Write Shop aims to cover the period starting with the Philippine-American War on which Kagay-anon Patriots played a prominent role to the present time under the administration of Mayor Oscar S. Moreno. Mr. Aclo said the group will petition the LGU for funding assistance to complete the project since DepEd funds have already been depleted by the first two Write Shops.
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