Skip to main content

LC’s homegrown bookstore doubles as English upgrade facility

By Cherry Joy D. Garma
PIA-Ilocos Norte

SAMTOY Books, a homegrown bookstore here in Laoag City has started offering an English clinic improve students’ command of the English language.

The bookstore, housed at the provincial government-owned La Tabacalera, has become a temporary classroom for students and pupils from grade school to college students to polish their English proficiency.



The bookstore got its name from the Ilocano word “samtoy” a contraction of “Sao mi ditoy”, meaning “our language here.”

The English clinic offers a six month-course on grammar abilities, correct word usage, diction and pronunciation among other skills. The course started in August and will end in February next year.

Gladys Foronda, bookstore manager, said the clinic seeks to contribute to students’ skills development.

“This is community service. Apart from educating the youth, we are able to help those who cannot afford to go to school,” she said.

Samtoy Books collaborated with the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte and the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) to implement the program.

“The students will be guided by globally competitive and well-recognized English teachers from Ilocos Norte,” Foronda said noting that teachers are from the MMSU’s Department of Languages and Literature.

The clinic charges a minimal fee of P500 for students who could afford paying while other students are fully subsidized.

Foronda said five of 20 students who are currently enrolled entered the program at no cost.

“The lectures are very beneficial because teachers can focus on the individual student’s weaknesses. We based our lectures on international English standard,” Foronda added.

The course will focus more on students’ diction and pronunciation while it tries to enrich their vocabularies through reading materials that Samtoy books provided.


The clinic will be completed in February in time for the English Month observance where competitions such as creative writing and extemporaneous speaking are set.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Empanada festival: A celebration of good taste and good life

By Dominic B. dela Cruz & Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporters BATAC CITY—If there is one thing Batac is truly proud of, it would be its famous empanada-making business that has nurtured its people over the years. Embracing a century-old culture and culinary tradition, Batac’s empanada claims to be the best and tastiest in the country with its distinctive Ilokano taste courtesy of its local ingredients: fresh grated papaya, mongo, chopped longganisa, and egg. The crispy orange wrapper and is made of rice flour that is deep-fried. The celebration of this city’s famous traditional fast food attracting locals and tourists elsewhere comes with the City Charter Day of Batac every 23 rd  of June. Every year, the City Government of Batac led by Mayor Jeffrey Jubal Nalupta commemorate the city’s charter day celebration to further promote its famous One-Town, One Product, the Batac empanada. Empanada City The Batac empanada festival has already become an annua

PIDS expert says income tax cuts justified; warns gov’t of revenue loss

Proposals to amend the personal income tax schedule appear to be well-justified. However, these proposals should include measures that will allow government to recover the revenue loss from lower income taxes. Dr. Rosario Manasan, senior research fellow of state think-tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), said at a seminar sponsored by the Philippine Senate, that government should look for new revenue measures to compensate for the projected revenue loss that will arise as a result of the implementation of any of the various proposals to restructure the personal income tax. Currently, there are several income tax reform proposals pending in both houses of Congress. All of them, according to Dr. Manasan, have the same objective of addressing the phenomenon of bracket creep, which results from “non-indexation to inflation of personal income tax brackets”. Simply put, bracket creep occurs when employees’ income increases over time as a result of inflation. Th

PGIN honors Ilocano heroes of past, present through Heroes Walk

SPO1 Allan Lampitoc Franco of Banna, Ilocos Norte and PO2 Jovalyn D. Lozano of Adams, Ilocos Norte receive a resolution of commendation, a certificate of college scholarship grant to their family members and a P20,000 cash incentive each from the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte represented by Governor Imee R. Marcos and Vice Governor Angelo M. Barba in recognition of their bravery and heroic acts in the Mamasapano clash in Maguindanao on January 25. Mr. Franco and Mr. Lozano were recognized on March 10 in time for the unveiling of the second batch of Ilocano heroes at the Heroes Walk located along the Sirib Mile in Laoag City.  (Lei Adriano) By Jennifer T. Pambid PGIN-CMO In honor of the heroes who brought freedom, fame and glory to the province as well as to the country in the past century, the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte (PGIN) through the Education Department and Sirib Youth Office launched the second batch of Ilocano Heroes Walk on March 10, 2015.