Duties of Student Council Leaders

 President

• Represent the student body at school, district, and civic meetings
• Develop agenda for and preside at student council meetings.
• Knows the basic rules of parliamentary procedure.
• Votes when there is a tie.
• Conducts him/herself with academic integrity and exemplary conduct.

Vice President

• Represent the student body at school, district, and civic meetings (as requested by the president)
• Knows the basic rules of parliamentary procedure.
• Serves in the absence of the president.
• Coordinates the work of committees.
• Heads important committees.
• Conducts him/herself with academic integrity and exemplary conduct.

Secretary

• Keeps accurate minutes of meetings.
• Handles all council correspondence.
• Reports at each meeting the minutes from previous meeting.
• Type materials for student council officers and committee chairpeople.
• Conducts him/herself with academic integrity and exemplary conduct.

Treasurer

• Presents proposed budget of activities to the student council.
• Handles all funds.
• Keeps accurate record on income and expenses.
• Reports at each meeting on money matters.
• Coordinates fundraising projects of the student council.
• Conducts him/herself with academic integrity and exemplary conduct.

Class Representatives

• Attend student council meetings and report back to classrooms.
• Report class feedback to the council.
• Rotate positions to give more students a chance to participate.
• Conducts him/herself with academic integrity and exemplary conduct.

Advisor

• Oversees student council meetings and activities.
• Instructs students on holding elections and running for office.
• Helps student council establish goals, plan a calendar, and form a budget.

Each student council has its own set of responsibilities. The school, principal, advisor, council members, and student body define these. Since some of their opinions may contradict each other, your council must decide what its responsibilities are.

(The above information was copied from the National Association of Elementary School Principals and from the Middle Level Student Councils Guide for Students & Advisors, NASSP)

iPhone SLR

The Apple iPhone 4 was recently crowned the most popular camera on image sharing website Flickr, but the camera included with the fourth generation iPhone doesn’t have much of a lens. To remedy that slight oversight by Apple independent accessory maker Photojojo is here with their new iPhone SLR Mount.

That’s right a SLR lens mount for the iPhone is available, binding you don’t mind spending between $190 and $210. The Photojojo company offers a mount compatible with the current gen. iPhone 4 ($210) and the last gen. iPhone 3 ($190). Both mounting kits will allow you to add a Canon or Nikon SLR lens to your iPhone’s rear-facing camera.

According to Photojojo their mounting solution matched up with a lens from Canon or Nikon will give your phone “powerful depth of field and manual focus”. The company has provided some test shots taken with the iPhone 4′s camera and a Canon/Nikon SLR lens, check out the sample photos below…

The iPhone SLR Mount is made from aluminum and it includes dedicated neck strap loops. Also Photojojo will be including a UV filter with every mount sold, it’s supposed to be specific to the mount itself, Photojojo does make a point of noting no third-party filters are supported with their product. If you want to get started in iPhoneography just head over to Photojojo’s website to order the iPhone SLR Mount for your iPhone 3 or 4 (the iPhone 4 is preferred).

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Motorist mauls MMDA enforcer

It was a case of road rage, but now the rage has gone online.

Netizens continue to slam a Metro Manila motorist who was caught on video assaulting a traffic enforcer at Tandang Sora in Quezon City Saturday.

The video, which spread like wildfire on social media networks late Tuesday, and was first posted in Interaskyon.com, showed the motorist now identified as Robert Blair Carabuena mauling Saturnino Fabros, a traffic enforcer of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

Carabuena is an executive of multinational tobacco company Philip Morris. In a statement, cigarette maker Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corp. (PMFTC) confirmed that Carabuena is its employee.

"While the complete facts surrounding the incident are not yet clear to make a full appreciation of the situation, the company would obviously not condone inappropriate conduct by any of our employees," PMFTC said. It added that it will closely monitor investigations that have been launched on the incident.

Meanwhile, in an interview with the TV 5 network, which also exclusively caught the video of the incident by chance, Fabros on Wednesday said it was the first time he experienced such treatment from a motorist. He's been as a traffic enforcer for 30 years now.

"Para akong mapapaiyak nun pero pinigilan ko lang. Napahiya po ako (I had to stop myself from crying even if I was humiliated)," Fabros said.

He added that he only called Carabuena's attention for a wrong turn at the corner of Capitol Hills Drive and Tandang Sora.

MMDA Legal and Legislative Affairs staff have confirmed that a case is being drafted against Carabuena and will be filed at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Wednesday.

In a separate statement, MMDA's Francis Tolentino defended the MMDA traffic enforcer.

“We cannot allow this aggression and shameless attack against our men who are only doing their job as best as they can, regardless of the risks they face in the streets every day,” Tolentino said, as he demanded a public apology from Carabuena.

Under the Revised Penal Code, direct assault can be filed against any person who shall attack, employ force, or seriously intimidate any person in authority while in the performance of official duties. It is punishable by a prison term of six months to six years.

Public engagement

Malacañang said the social media outburst was a show of "public engangement."

"We commend our vigilant citizens who actively seek accountability from individuals in both the public and private sectors," Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a statement.

He added that such campaigns link individuals through social and traditional media to improve "efforts to achieve social change, by bringing to light any possible wrongdoing."

"Public engagement is the bedrock of democracy. It is at its most potent and powerful when the constant scrutiny of the citizenry serves as a deterrent to the illicit and unlawful," Lacierda said.

Online rage

"Dear Robert 'Blair' Carabuena, mabilaukan ka sana sa ginawa mong pang-mamaltrato sa MMDA. Justice for MMDA officers!" Gerald Santos said via Twitter.

For her part, Twitter user Kristine said: "One of the reasons why Pinas is not improving is because of some people who think highly of themselves."

"I don't want to imagine what could've happened if this Blair Carabuena had a gun in his car," Jong D.G. tweeted.

Some netizens, meanwhile, urged Filipinos to reflect on the public's treatment of government employees.

"We may have a lot of things against the government but it does not warrant us to act like arrogant douche bags," Vincent Benjamin said via Twitter.

Pau Rosales tweeted: "They (MMDA officers) work rain or shine to make sure our traffic situation is somehow bearable, must we abuse them? They are also humans."

Carabuena allegedly deleted his social networking accounts amid the flood of negative comments, prompting further outburst of emotions.

"Ang tapang mo sa kalye pero ngayon, tago ng tago from social media (You were arrogant in the street yet you now hide from social media)," Myra Santiago said via Twitter.

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Monsoon rains still expected; new LPA to form Monday

MANILA (Updated 9:47 a.m.) – The weather bureau said Friday the southwest monsoon continues to affect Northern and Central Luzon, with rain-showers likely to fall over Metro Manila during the weekend.

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) forecaster Ricky Fabregas also said they are monitoring another potential cyclone - a low pressure area (LPA) that could again enhance the southwest monsoon.

He said the LPA may enter Philippine territory as early as Monday.

“‘Yung LPA nasa far east of the Philippines, expect natin papasok ito by next week Monday or Tuesday. Sa nakikita nating scenario, may chance maging bagyo dahil nasa karagatan pa ito (The LPA is still in the far east of the Philippines, we’re expecting it by Monday or Tuesday. This has a chance to become a tropical cyclone because this is still at sea)” Pagasa weather forecaster Raymond Ordinario said.

He said that once it becomes a cyclone and enters the Philippine area of responsibility, it will be locally named “Helen,” the eight weather disturbance to enter the country this year.

Ordinario also said they are not discounting the possibility that the LPA may again enhance the southwest monsoon and cause heavy rain.

The heavy rain that caused massive flooding since Tuesday in Metro Manila and nearby provinces killed 49 people and forced thousands to flee from the deluge.

Although the floodwaters already subsided Friday morning, Pagasa warned affected individuals to continue monitoring for updates.

As the weather improved Thursday, residents began to fix disheveled homes and stores in flood-hit communities that resembled a wasteland littered with mud-caked garbage.

More than 500,000 people, however, remained in hundreds of evacuation centers in Manila and outlying provinces.

On Friday morning, Pagasa said Northern and Central Luzon will experience cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorm becoming cloudy with widespread rains over the western section that may trigger flash floods and landslides.

The rest of the country will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms, it said.

Moderate to strong winds blowing from the southwest will prevail over Luzon and the coastal waters along these areas will be moderate to rough.

Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate coming from the south to southwest with slight to moderate seas.

The weather agency also issued gale warning as strong to gale force wind is expected to affect the northern and western seaboards of Northern Luzon and the western seaboard of Central Luzon.

Fishing boats and other small sea crafts are advised not to venture out into the sea while larger sea vessels are alerted against big waves, it said. (PNA/Sunnex)

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Mentally Stimulating Things to Do on a Rainy Day or During a Thunderstorm

Exercise your noodle on a rainy day with some interesting things that you can do inside. The next time you find your plans changed or cancelled on account of a thunderstorm or inclement weather, consider these ideas for mentally stimulating things to do inside on a rainy day.

1. Play a board game.
2. Read a book or magazine.
3. Go to an arcade.
4. Play video games at home.
5. Put together a jigsaw puzzle.
6. Play cards.
7. Start a recipe swap.
8. Do a crossword puzzle.
9. Do a Sudoku puzzle.
10. Spend some money that you've been saving "for a rainy day."
11. Use modeling clay to create mini sculptures and take turns with your friends guessing what everyone's creations are.
12. Start your Christmas list.
13. Play 20 Questions.
14. Play I Spy.