MACTAN,Cebu-On September 26 and 27, the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines’ Regional English Language Office (RELO) hosted a two-day intensive training in Mactan, Cebu, to equip 48 educators from various regions across the Philippines with innovative strategies for integrating artificial intelligence (AI) in their classrooms.

This professional development was facilitated by three American English Language Fellows—Laura Roach, Maryann Miller, and Michael Schapiro. These Fellows are highly-qualified U.S. TESOL professionals selected by the U.S. Department of State for 10-month assignments abroad to support public diplomacy and educational capacity building.

The workshop, entitled “The Educator’s Edge: Mastering Literacy, AI, and Critical Thought,” focused on creating an integrated learning module that guides learners from basic language skills to critical thinking skills. This module will serve as a tool for the educators to utilize in their own classrooms and share with their colleagues, creating a multiplier effect in enriched pedagogical practices.

The training also provided hands-on experience to implement American-developed instructional technology. Educators were given a showcase and practical experience with a half-dozen U.S. AI/EdTech tools designed to personalize learning and increase classroom efficiency. These tools enable teachers to streamline tasks like content creation, assessment, and differentiation, allowing them to focus more on student interaction and critical thought development.

U.S. Embassy Regional English Language Officer Jeff McIlvenna framed the initiative as an investment in a critical bilateral relationship. “The paradigm of this activity was specifically designed by our American trainers for the professional development of Filipino educators,” he said. “This program is a concrete example of the robust bilateral cooperation and shared values between the United States and the Philippines, providing revolutionary techniques, and showcasing American excellence in English teaching in the Philippines.”

The program is the latest in a series of initiatives by the U.S. Embassy’s RELO to support education in the Philippines. American English Language Fellows are currently teaching and assisting in projects at Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, Southern Leyte State University, and Mariano Marcos State University, actively building long-term collaborations in education. (PR)

TACLOBAN CITY – The Philippine Statistics Authority–Regional Statistical Services Office VIII (PSA–RSSO 8) launched the 36th National Statistics Month (NSM) celebration in Eastern Visayas with a forum tackling the region’s progress and challenges in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This year’s NSM theme, “Accelerating the SDG Pace of Progress: Mobilizing Data for All,” underscores the critical role of reliable data in tracking the country’s performance against SDG targets, identifying lagging areas, and crafting targeted interventions, according to PSA Chief Statistical Specialist Mae Almonte.

Almonte said the celebration will feature various activities to promote the use of statistics in governance and development, including the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS), which provides household-level and geotagged data to aid in local development planning. Several LGUs, including Naval in Biliran and Hinundayan in Southern Leyte, have already used CBMS results for local projects.

Chief Economic Development Specialist Geselle Frances Zeta of the Department of Economy, Planning and Development VIII (DEPDev 8) reported that the region faces major data and performance gaps in achieving the SDGs. Of the 17 global goals, five cannot be monitored locally due to insufficient data: SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), 12 (responsible consumption and production), 14 (life below water), 15 (life on land), and 17 (partnerships for the goals).

Zeta also noted regression in five areas: SDG 5 (gender equality), 9 (industry, innovation, and infrastructure), 10 (reduced inequalities), 11 (sustainable cities and communities), and 13 (climate action). Meanwhile, Eastern Visayas made considerable progress in SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy), while other goals show improvement but require faster acceleration to meet the 2030 targets.

At the forum, Zeta identified five macro-level factors hindering the region’s progress: high underemployment rate (16.2%), reflecting poor job quality and lingering pandemic impacts on learners; wide income inequality, as shown by the GINI coefficient; vulnerability to climate- and human-induced disasters, citing damages to the San Juanico and Liloan bridges; gaps in the delivery of basic services, especially water access in underserved areas; and missing or outdated data for proper targeting and prioritization.

She also cited regression under SDG 13 (climate action), pointing to weak resilience and adaptive capacity, lack of local disaster risk reduction strategies, and poor waste management contributing to flooding.

For its part, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) stressed the importance of comprehensive development plans (CDPs) crafted by LGUs. Rudith A. Roca, Chief of DILG’s Local Government Capability Development Division, said their office monitors LGU compliance and conducts capacity-building to ensure sustained and well-implemented plans.

Almonte assured that with the ongoing turnover of CBMS results in provinces, more LGUs will soon be able to use updated data for crafting CDPs and Comprehensive Land Use Plans (CLUPs).

The month-long NSM celebration aims to strengthen data use among local governments and institutions to accelerate the region’s progress toward the 2030 SDG agenda. (PR)