Ulat ni Eva Joyce SP. Valenzuela and Dianne B. Ubaldo

YES-O Election was supervised by Mrs. Adelina Vista, District Coordinator and Education Program Supervisor (EPS) in Science of the Division of Laguna.

Victoria, Laguna – On June 28 (Friday) at 1:00 pm, the Youth for Environment in Schools Organization (YES-O) held their elections at Brgy. Masapang in Victoria, Laguna under the supervision of Mrs. Adelina Vista, the District Coordinator and Education Program Supervisor (EPS) in Science of the Division of Laguna.

The YES-O Laguna elections for both students and teachers is an annual activity that coincides with the submission of their Calendar of Annual Proposed Activities (CAPA).

The newly elected YES-O Student President is Roi Vincent Alporta of Pulo National High School .

The student body elected Roi Vincent Alporta of Pulo National High School as YES-O’s president for this year. “Daig ng madiskarte ang matalino. Ako po ay hindi pilot student. Ako ay Section B sa aming paaralan. Sa aking tiyaga, napili ako ng paaralan ko na maging representative sa YES-O at malaki ang pasasalamat ko rito,” Alporta said, as he convinced his fellow students to vote for him.

According to District Coordinator and Education Program Supervisor in Science of Division of Laguna Adelina Vista, YES-O is a national school organization in the Philippines recognized under the DepED Order No. 93 series of 2011 or “Strengthening Environmental Education in Public and Private Schools”. The DepEd order aimed to encourage students to participate in environmental activities and advocacies. YES-O’s mission is to encourage students to become environment-friendly individuals and to contribute in the preservation of Mother Earth by relevant programs.

Mandated programs, projects, and activities of YES-O include: Seed Bank and Nursery Establishment; Planting, Growing and Caring for Trees; Awareness Campaigns and Seminars on Environmental Issues and Actions; Outreach Programs such as Cleaning, Developing and Preserving River, Forest and Community; Solid Waste Management; No Plastic Policy; Watershed Protection and Energy Conservation; Promoting Tourism and Environmental Camps.

“I do believe that YES-O is not just a club. It is a family. I expect a harmonious relationship together with all the Yes-O officers and faculty. I know it will take pressure but I know God is always there for me. This time the YES-O would be the most interactive and competitive school organization, nurturing the hidden talents of all the students through the use of environmental advocacy,” stated President Alporta as his vision for YES-O this year.

After the election, student officers planned for the Calendar of Annual Proposed Activities (CAPA). Alporta shared that the proposed activities of Yes-O this year would be the ‘YES-trip’ featuring Laguna. “I do believe that we don’t need to go at metro just to fulfill our lust of knowledge. Laguna is full of wonders that can satisfy our fellow students, “ he said.

In addition, there would also be SCIOLYMPICS, a science-related activity and a cheerleading competition which costumes will be made by recyclable materials to showcase student’s creativity and talent.

According to Mrs. Vista, “every school must submit their proposed environmental activities for the year”, she added. This includes tree planting, solid waste management, fire drills, etc.

Moreover, there will also be follow ups to evaluate latest activities of several schools. “I’m doing follow ups because some people would plant and just leave it. The activity’s objectives are not achieved. That’s why I go to school to observe if they are really taking care of the plants. If not, they will replace another”, said Mrs. Adelina Vista.

By the end of March, each school submits their annual report which contains the activity and the percentage of the result. But for this year, the submission of reports would be by cluster due to the large number of schools in Laguna.

“Some say that destinies are like cloth, and each of us represents a thread that’s why other’s intertwines with some. Let us make everything clean and green. Thus we are not asked to change the world, we are just asked to preserve the world. Thank you!” said Pres. Alparto to his fellow young people.