The City of Escalante conducted an audition for the Lin-ay sg Negros, Pop Dance, Pop Idol, Folk Dance and Composo, to choose representatives of the city for the forthcoming Pana-ad 2008 on April 26 to May 3, at the Pana-ad Park, Bacolod City.

The audition was spearheaded by Information Officers Vermont Khan Juvahib and Kenneth Benignos together with the Tourism staff, a press release from Escalante said.*

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Literacy council pushed

The City government of Bacolod is pushing for the creation of a Local Literacy Coordinating Council, a press release from the Sangguniang Panlungsod said.

Councilor Greg Gasataya, chairman of the Committee on Education, endorsed to the council the proposed ordinance “Adopting The Literacy Coordinating Council’s Blueprint For Action And Implementing Guidelines And Thereby Establishing The Bacolod City Local Literacy Coordinating Council.”

The creation of the council is aimed at setting plans and integrating literacy in all ongoing community based literacy development programs, among others, the press release said.

Its main function will include research, planning, management, monitoring and evaluation, advocacy and social mobilization, resource generation and institutionalization of city-initiated programs and projects, the press release said.

The literacy council will also be responsible for the formulation of necessary policies, implementing rules, regulations and guidelines responsive to literacy and continuing education development.

Gasataya is also the author of the city ordinance on the Comprehensive Scholarship Program of Bacolod City, the press release added.*

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USLS moot court team
semifinalist in Hong Kong

The University of St. La Salle Law Moot Court Team from Bacolod City finished as semi-finalist in the 6th Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Moot Court Competition held in Hong Kong, recently, a press release from the school said.

The team is composed of Michael Hanz Villaster, Adylyn Dioso and coach, lawyer Ralph Sarmiento. They represented the Philippines after winning the National Moot Court Competition held at the Supreme Court En Banc Session Hall, in November last year.

The General Rounds were held March 7 at the Hong Kong University while the Semi-Final and Final Rounds were held the next day, at the Hong Kong High Court with the National University of Singapore emerging as this year’s champion.

After the team match-ups were determined by random draws, the USLS Moot Team faced Hong Kong University (runner-up winner for the last two consecutive years) in the 1st General Rounds and Chulalongkorn University of Thailand (runner-up of last year’s Asia Cup Moot Court Competition in Tokyo) in the 2nd General Rounds, the press release said.

The USLS Moot Team entered the Semi-Finals as a prosecution team alongside the Multimedia University of Malaysia and the University of Indonesia. The three Semi-Finalist defense teams were the China Foreign Affairs University, Chulalongkorn University of Thailand and the National University of Singapore.

The memorial submitted by the USLS Moot Team was also awarded as one of the Top Ten Memorials of the Competition and the Memorial from the Chinese University of Hong Kong was awarded as the Best Memorial.

The competition is an Inter-University Competition for the Asia-Pacific Region, open to law students including those enrolled in law degrees leading to Master and Doctor of Laws.

It was co-organized by the Hong Kong Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross, in collaboration with the Hong Kong University and the City University of Hong Kong, the press release added.*

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Easter sunrise service set

A group of Christian churches headed by the Cosmopolitan Evangelical Church-Malaspina and the Bacolod Bethany Church-Royal Meadows will hold its 9th Easter Sunrise Service, 4 a.m. Sunday, at the Lopue’s East parking lot, Bacolod City, a press release from organizers said.

This year’s speaker, Rev. Dr. Roy Salathiel Versoza, will speak on the theme “Christ is risen; is He risen in you?”

Renowned Christian singing group, The 4th Horizon, will perform as part of the event highlights, along with the choirs of the local churches, the press release said.

Those interested in the service may call Pastor Arnel Macitas of the Bacolod Bethany Church-Royal Meadows at Tel. No. 433-0085, the press release added.*

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