School: University of the Philippines High School in Cebu
    Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines

63 students, ages 15-17 years old worked together to complete this CyberFair project on March 15, 2006. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): 2006

Classes and Teachers: Mr. Renante P. Manlunas, Mrs. Louella L. Manlunas and Fourth Year High School Students

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://

1. Description of Our Community

Cebu is the region that the whole country of the Philippines deems as the “Queen City of the South”, boasting its magnificent views and crafts that have been known not only in this country but also to the entire world. It is famous for being the seat of Roman Catholicism, and well-known for its guitars, white sand beaches located both in the North and in the South, delicacies like otap and dried mangoes, and its colorful festivities celebrated annually at almost every municipality in Cebu, as well as its historical landmarks like the Magellan’s Cross and Fort San Pedro. Aside from its breath-taking features, its streets and edifices are also filled with undoubtedly hospitable citizens who are always willing to prove to the world that the Cebuano culture is something that we can be proud of.

Cebu City is the oldest city in the Philippines which was established in 1571 by Miguel Lopez di Legazpi. It is also the capital of the Cebu Province. The city lies in the eastern shore of the Island of Cebu and is the oldest city of the Philippines. Cebu, or Sugbu, was already a prosperous settlement before it was colonized by Spain. Geographically, the island of Cebu is 562 kilometers south of Manila, the capital city, in the middle of the north-south axis of the country's 7,700 islands.

Today, Cebu City boasts itself as a major business center outside the National Capital Region (NCR).

2. Summary of Our Project

'Calles de Cebu: Gateways to A Nation's History' is a research project that documents the different streets of Cebu City. The streets of Cebu City are where most of us travel everyday going to different destinations. But have we seen these streets to be more than just a concrete connection of places? These streets carry along with them a story , a story of a past that molded the richness of a culture and its people. There are streets named after the rajahs, the priests, the freedom fighters and the great events in the history of the Philippines. The project provides you with a virtual tour of Cebu City and along these streets you learn about the stories of people and events that helped shape the nation into what it is today.

3. Our Computer and Internet Access

A. Percentage of students using the Internet at home:21-50%

B. Number of workstations with Internet access in the classroom:more than 6

C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dial-up modem

D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:4-6

E. Additional comments concerning your computer and/or Internet access (Optional):

Our school’s Internet connection is provided by Globelines. We were very lucky to be one of the beneficiaries of Ayala Foundation Youth–Tech Project in 2001. Aside from the connectivity, the donation included 10 workstations, 1 server, licenses for the Microsoft Windows operating system and Microsoft Office Productivity Suite. Without these donated facility. These donations have enabled us to explore the various application of the Internet in the delivery of educational services.

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

The researchers had difficulty in balancing time for academics and co-curricular activities. Proper time management is highly recommended in order to accomplish this project.

A series of meetings ensued during the months of October and November to make sure that valuable time is not wasted in the research part of the project. The students were grouped and assigned to tackle specific streets. The research part proved to be very challenging since there were very few materials detailing the history of the street names. Fortunately, we have the Internet. But still our challenge was to find local materials in the libraries of the universities in the city as well the museum in order to substantiate what we have gathered in cyberface. Contacts with different agencies were established. Again this was not easy for the students because of their class schedules. Fortunately, we were able to make arrangements with other subject teachers so that students have enough time to make the necessary interviews and gather the needed pictures.

After gathering, collating and creating the project write-ups, another concern of the students was the development of the project website. Fortunately, the class was able to hook up with two graduates of the school, namely, Mr. Jowil Carvajal and Paolo Genargue, who patiently devoted a big amount of their time helping us put up the project website. Without their assistance, we wouldn’t have made it this far.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

Walk through the streets of Cebu City and you will learn the rich cultural heritage of this “Queen City of the South”. We do not only take you to different corners of our little but vibrant community. But we also take you to different pages of our nation’s history.

6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?

The project is a very new experience for the students in researching and eventually creating their own project output.

They were also exposed to project management and a wide array of curriculum related activities that allowed them to apply skills that they have learned in school. The project is a clear example of an interdisciplinary approach to teaching and learning. Students were able to connect different areas of the curriculum in contrast to the traditional approach where learning tends to be very compartmentalized. Students learned more about their community and honed their researching and writing skills in documenting the various streets of Cebu City. At the same time, knowing more about their own province and its very rich cultural heritage gave them a clear sense of history.

With this project, teaching and learning are not confined within the four walls of the classroom and the campus. Students had to explore alternative sources of information which cannot be found in the school. Moreover, the values of responsibility, leadership, teamwork, cooperation, hard work and resourcefulness were manifested throughout the entire duration of the project. These are qualities which will be very useful to the students as they pursue higher education.

Finally, presenting research output for the rest of the world to see and learn gave the students a sense of achievement and pride.

1) What information tools & technologies did you used to complete your CyberFair project?

The school was very lucky to be one of the beneficiaries of the Ayala Foundation Youth-Tech Project. These units, located at the Learning Enhancement and Development Center of the high school, were very invaluable tools in our project. Without this facility, it would have been very costly for the students to rent computers in Internet cafes.

The students were also fortunate enough to have been able to borrow the portable computer of one of our co-teachers which was very useful during our visits to agencies during the data gathering stage of the project.

Aside from computers, the students used optical scanners and digital cameras for gathering pictures which are equally as useful as the textual elements of the project. The digital cameras allowed us to capture the current conditions of the street in a very cost-effective way.

As far as use of software is concerned, the students used the MS Office productivity suite and open-source programs that are of good quality such as the nVu Web Designer.

To be able to create the web pages, knowledge of HTML was very important. For the very technical part of the project, we sought the assistance of the alumni who are in the web design business.

For us, the most important tools in the project were the people who unselfishly shared with us their knowledge and time for the realization of this project. The alumni volunteers patiently helped us in creating the web pages and shared with us their technical expertise in creating a high-quality project website.

2) In what ways did you act as "ambassadors" and spokespersons for your CyberFair project both on-line and in person.

The project aimed to promote the tourism of our local community not only to people in our country but also to people in other places across the globe. In a sense, we have become ambassadors on-line by realizing this project about Cebu City's different streets and landmarks. We have given a voice to Cebu City by making our Cyberfair project because through this, we are showing the world the beauty of our place.

However, it is not only through the project that we have reached out to others. The making of the project was in itself a way of promoting the city to ourselves. Some of us were not even aware of some of the information we have gathered but by making the project, we learned more about our own home. And aside from sharing it only to other people in other places, we have also shared our learning to our local community by promoting awareness of our own home, Cebu City. The Cyberfair launching activity that we had was a good venue to inform the public about the project and provide a terrific learning experience for the students and the audience. The students were given an opportunity to present what they are currently doing and at the same time the audience, most of which are teachers, also learned from the students.

3) What has been the impact of your project on your community?

Being true-blooded Cebuanos, this Cyberfair project has had a big impact on us, the researchers, and on our community. It has been a gateway for us to learn more about our home, and it has rooted a love for Cebu City and Cebu deep within us. Because of this, we are more dedicated to the improvement of our local community and to the betterment of our fellow Cebuanos. By realizing the beauty and cultural richness of Cebu City, we are able to share it to other people locally, nationally, and internationally through our project. Cebu City is a place we should be proud of and by making this project, we have showcased the wonders of our small community. When we had the project presentation in school, representative from the civil society groups expressed his appreciation for the project and the efforts exerted by the students in coming up with something innovative. One of our guests, a Dutch volunteer for the Gearing Up Internet Literacy Access for Students (GILAS) Project,surely found the site very useful in getting to know more about Cebu City. The other teachers have also expressed their intention to go for projects which are more interdisciplinary in nature.

4) How did your project involve other members of your community as helpers and volunteers?

The project was made possible with the help of the parents, teachers, government officials and alumni. The parents assisted the students in gathering information. In fact, the gathering of present-day pictures of the streets has become a family activity for one of the students. During weekends, everyone in the family would hop in their car and take pictures of the streets along the way. The teachers helped in conceptualizing the idea of the project. They also suggested some resources and provided guidance in order to meet project deadlines. The Cebu City Tourism Office, Cebu City Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission, Cebu Province Tourism Office, Sugbu Studies Center and Department of Tourism Region 7 helped the students in completing information about the streets. They also allowed the students to get some old pictures of the streets. The alumni of UP High School in Cebu helped in the implementation of the students' ideas through the creation of a project website.

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

Just like ordinary busy persons, we were just one of those who knew less of the history of streets until we were able to start this project and dig deeper to the streets’ past. Now we appreciate the importance of our city and its history as we prepare ourselves for the foreseeable future.The researchers learned that teamwork is very essential in order to achieve success of the project. We learned how to collaborate with different people in the community. We value the challenges that come our way while working on this project. This whole experience will be treasured always. Definitely, we will still be joining next year's cyberfair.