Philippine Scene # 9 - Activities for the Month of July 2012: UK Olympics, Nutrition Month and Fil-Am Friendship Day

July 2012 will be a hectic month for the people here in the Philippines.

It will not be the usual month, because, the first grand activity on the list will be the UK Olympics, where the elusive gold medal will be the target of the 11-man team. It will feature athletes compete in boxing, athletics and swimming. The start of the game will be on July 27 until August 12.

The whole month is also for the Nutrition Month celebration, supporting the program of the government through the Department of Education. Feeding program is in full blast implementation for pre-schooler and elementary students. Teachers help parents in teaching the proper way to feed their children. Now that the K-to-12 curriculum has just started, proper nutrition should be given especially to the nursery pupils.

I wouldn't miss this for the world. 4th of July will not solely for the Americans but also for the Filipinos to celebrate. We used to call it as Fil-Am Friendship Day, commemorating the camaraderie that the G.I's and Pinoy veterans fought shoulder-to-shoulder against the Japanese army during World War II. Although, this will never be considered as official holiday anymore, since some politicians removed it on the calendar by changing it to a less popular day as Day of Courage (Araw ng Kagitingan), those who fought the war still remember that solemn day symbolizing the alliance between the two countries.

Note: July will also be a special month to this hubber, as he will also be traveling to another country, as he embark on a new vessel as he signed for another contract as seafarer.

He'll be sure to update what activities he'll be doing as his contract starts to grind and what place will he be discovering on the succeeding days.

So, bear with me please.

(With personal opinion and writings by travel_man1971 aka Ireno A. Alcala)

1. Queen Elizabeth II’s granddaughter Zara Phillips has been nominated as part of the U.K.’s team for the London Olympics, the British Equestrian Federation said.
2. Philippine athletes will have to train hard in the UK. FOUR athletes will go through the final and most crucial stretch of their preparations for the London Olympics in a training camp set to begin at the end of the month of June.
3. The International Olympic Committee has launched an investigation into allegations that Olympic officials and agents have been offering tickets to the upcoming London Games on the black market.
4. UK-US Security experts unite for London Olympics.

Note: Although, Philippine team is just a small delegate, the Philippine Olympic committee chaired by former Congressman Jose "Peping" Cojuangco is hoping that the elusive gold will be caught this year.

Filipino Athletes who'll compete in the 2012 Olympics

1. Hidilyn Diaz placed 11th in the women's 58kg weightlifting in 2008, despite being only 17 years old at the time. She was the first female weightlifter to compete for the Philippines in the Olympics and the country's second weightlifter overall. Many believe she is the country's strongest hope for a medal in 2012.
2. Swimmers Jasmine Alkhaldi and Jessie Khing Lacuna
3. Shooter Brian Rosario
4. Athletics: Long jumper Marestella Torres & Long distance runner Rene Herrera
5. Amateur boxer Mark Anthony Barriga
6. BMX rider Daniel Caluag
7. Judoka Tomohiko Hoshina
8. Archers Mark Javier and Rachel Cabral

These bunch of Filipino athletes are accompanied by their respected coaches and hope to steal the elusive gold this year as they hurdled a 15-day training in UK before the big day.

Prayers do a lot of wonder and it should be the best weapon we should give as we, Filipinos support our own contingent.

As the wet season or rainy days poured watery blessings and stormy intermissions from the sky, Nutrition Month in the country will push through with its theme:

"Pagkain ng Gulay ugaliin, araw-araw itong ihain."

Meaning, "Eating vegetables should be practiced daily."

The official National Nutrition Council website states that the prevalence of malnutrition among preschoolers are still apparent in the following local government units (LGUs) this year.

1. Jomalig - a 5th class island municipality in Quezon province
2. Tinambac - a peri urban 1st class municipality in Camarines Sur

In relation with this, the OPT (Operation Timbang) or Weighing Operation among children from 0-71 months old or below six years old are determined yearly by Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNS), Barangay Health Workers (BHW), midwives and community leaders. This is conducted annually in order to identify and locate malnourished children in the community.