Ambassador Christopher B. Montero (center) leads the traditional Monday flag-raising ceremony at the Philippine Embassy, with the participation of FLCEP participants, teacher-volunteers, parents and Embassy officials.
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, 14 September 2020 – The Philippine Embassy in Brunei Darussalam formally commenced the annual Filipino Language and Cultural Enrichment Program (FLCEP) with student-participants, together with their parents and teacher-volunteers, joining the traditional Monday Flag Raising ceremony at the Philippine Embassy today.
Due to the ongoing pandemic and mindful of the health and safety measures in place, this year’s edition of the FLCEP is being conducted through a blended learning experience. The mode of instruction is mostly via a digital/online platform, with minimal face-to-face interaction between the teachers and the children.
For the first time since the FLCEP was launched in 2008, students and volunteer-teachers from the District of Kuala Belait, which is located 2 hours away from the capital city of Bandar Seri Begawan, are participating in this year’s edition.
All in all, around 88 Filipino children (52 from Bandar Seri Begawan and 36 from Kuala Belait) have registered for the program. On the other hand, 35 volunteer teachers from the Brunei Filipino Educator’s Club (BFEC) have enlisted to implement and manage the program, which is being held from 11 September to 16 October 2020.
Participants in the FLCEP are divided into three (3) groups: a) Beginners; b) Juniors; and c) Seniors. Face-to-face sessions for the Beginners level and the online classes for the Junior and Senior levels were conducted last Friday, 11 September 2020.
Prior to the start of the 2020 FLCEP classes, volunteer teachers attended a webinar and workshop on the Filipino language conducted by Professor Frieda Marie Bonus-Adeva at the Embassy. The FLCEP module uses instruction lessons and alternative modes of delivery consistent with the Philippines’ K-12 basic education curriculum.
The FLCEP is designed to provide young Filipino children, 5 to 17 years old, with the opportunity to further enhance their knowledge of Filipino culture and language, and uplift their sense of nationalism. During the month-long program, the children are expected to participate actively in Filipino history and language online lessons, and in cultural enrichment activities such as Filipino traditional games and performances.
Filipino parents look forward to the conduct of the annual program as it not only exposes young participants to an environment that is conducive for learning Filipino language, history and culture, but also has proven useful in the reintegration of their children into Philippine society in the future.
The FLCEP is part of the Philippine Embassy’s cultural diplomacy program in partnership with the Brunei Filipino Educator’s Club (BFEC) and is being implemented this year in collaboration with the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA), with the support of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) in Brunei Darussalam. END
Ambassador Montero (center), together with FLCEP participants, their parents and teacher-volunteers, pose for a photo after the flag raising ceremony.
FLCEP participants from Kuala Belait district also hold a Flag Raising Ceremony and reciting of the Panunumpa sa Watawat before the start of the session.
Ambassador Montero interacting with participants of the FLCEP Beginners Level.
Seniors level attend their Google Classroom session on Baybayin with Mr. Jose Jaime Jay R. Enage (rightmost at 3rd row) and Mr. Jaime V. Hernandez, Jr., (leftmost 3rd row) Founding Chairman and Co-Founding Chairman, respectively, of Baybayin Buhayin Inc.
