Top of the Morning: VP Leni Robredo Wants SPED Centers In All Public Schools

1. VP Leni Robredo wants SPED centers in all public schools

VP Robredo called for passage of a law that would establish special education (SPED) centers in all public schools https://t.co/WDP14waI56

— Rappler (@rapplerdotcom) July 18, 2016

At the launch of UNICEF's photo exhibit featuring children with disabilities (CWDs), Vice President Leni Robredo stressed the importance of passing the pending bill in Congress which would establish special education (SPED) centers in all public schools in the country. "The ability [for children with special needs] to get a good education early on in life will mean the difference between exclusion and inclusion. If this bill is passed, we would have given inclusivity a big boost," said Robredo, who is also a former lawmaker. According to a report, only 620 out of 34,000 public elementary schools nationwide have programs or centers that cater to special-needs kids. The ratio of SPED teachers to SPED students is also low with only 6,000 teachers handling 239,000 students with special needs. "Early childhood intervention can fulfill the rights of children with disabilities in promoting rich and fulfilling childhoods and prepare them [for] meaningful participation in adulthood," she added. Robredo also added that she plans to build communities designed for persons and kids with special-needs. (rappler.com)


2. Neri Naig shares how she told husband Chito Miranda she's pregnant

The actress shared on her blog that she and husband, Parokya ni Edgar frontman Chito Miranda, started trying for another baby sometime in February after suffering a miscarriage in July last year. It was on March 14 that she found out she was pregnant again. Neri had already done five pregnancy tests in their bathroom, so she decided to "draw" the news using pink lipstick on their bathroom mirror for her husband. When Chito woke up, he didn't see her drawing but saw the pregnancy test kits. "Tapos puro dalawa yung line. Sabay sigaw siya na, 'Baby ko!'," Neri wrote. When Neri asked him about her "drawing", it turns out Chito hadn't noticed it yet until she mentioned it.  


4. Isabel Oli shares her realizations on being a mom

Lilly Feather is now three months old! Actress and mom Isabel Oli shared her expriences and realizations as a first-time mom on her new blog. Isabel and husband, actor John Prats, have been working in shifts in taking care of their little one. She admits that she worries about her daughter's future. "But if God can bless us with such a lovely gift, He can also provide ways and means to help us do our duties well as her parents," Isabel wrote, and adds that she feels that inexplicable love for Lilly Feather. With Feather's changing sleeping patterns, she and John are looking forward to getting more sleep now. In the end, Isabel answered the question "Is being a newbie mom exciting or exhausting?" She writes, "For me, it’s BOTH. But I believe it is more of the latter. Your exhaustion will mean nothing if you see your baby happy, healthy and well. Every sacrifice is all worth it when it is for the one you love."


4. Watch: Iya Villania's baby moves inside her tummy!

"I wonder what he's doing in there!" the mom-to-be wrote as caption to a Snapchat video posted on her Instagram. Iya is currently on her third trimester and is due to welcome her and husband Drew Arellano's first baby, a boy, soon. In an interview with Pep.ph, Iya said they aren't planning to hire a yaya just yet because she "wants to be a hands-on mom. "I only really want to ask help for help from mom kapag kunwari wala ako sa bahay or may kailangan akong gawin or sandali akong mawawala or kunwari maliligo ako," she says. Iya adds that Drew is going to take care of the diry nappies.


5. Bill that gives deserving students from poor familes free college education filed
Senate Bill No. 133 or the “One Family, One Graduate Act” entitles poor but deserving students to free college education until they graduate. It was proposed by Senator Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara, and it aims to ensure that every Filipino family will have at least one college graduate. The bill will give priority to "beneficiaries of the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps)" and will give the student a maximum of P60,000 per academic year to cover the cost of tuition and other school fees to complete the student-grantee’s degree program. Senator Angara said the bill, when passed into law, will greatly contribute to the government's goal to address poverty by having many college graduates among the poor, and thus, having a higher chance for employment and better income. (inquirer.net)