E-mail: leeq@sympatico.ca
Musical background, 'Angelsong' by
Ron Michael Adea on the piano
POINT TO PHOTOS TO READ ALTERNATIVE TEXT

IN 3 PARTS
PART  1:  Lee at Philippine Headline News Online <PHNO>
(Since 1997, serving OFWs all over the world with free daily headline news by email)

PART  2:  Lee at Paetenians Home on the Net <www.paete.org> 
(Paete, Laguna, Philippines: Lee's hometown)

PART  3: Lee at  eVision Assistive Technology Inc. <www.evisiontech.ca>
(Providing computer software & hardware tutorals to people with
visual & physical impairment)  
Endnotes: Lee's current interests

PART 2:  PHNO has a sister web site:
"Paetenians Home on the Net"

The town of Paete, Laguna is 15-minute drive to Pagsanjan Falls & 45 minutes to and from Manila (without traffic! :-) otherwise takes almost 2 to 3 hours or more in real time)

Paete, the place to be: (Photo at left, below - Sunset at Paete 'Wawa' Park)
"Between a shimmering lake and a mountain range, there lies Paete--- so serene, so steeped in
excellence it seems like a town encountered only in myth."
by Mona Highley. From the book 'Paete' by Eugenio C. Quesada.

Paete is the Woodcarving Capital of the Philippines & the Town of Sweet Lanzones.

The Paete website, created by Internet guru, Rey Q. Carolino at www.paete.org instantly gathered hundreds of Paetenians all over the world. Paetenians International, Inc. began a project to computerize the Paete Elementary Schools for "Batang Paete" (school children of Paete).

In 2001 the "AlayComputer" project was launched by the many Paetenians International chapters all over the world, as a lifetime project under the PAETECH Foundation's flagship implemented by a group led by then, former mayor (and present mayor) Hon. Emmanuel Cadayona.

The 3 elementary schools of Paete, Laguna are:
The Paete Elementary School (Central) at town proper
The Quinale Elementary School (Southeast of town proper at Barangay 4)
The Ibaba Elementary School  (between the Public Market and National Highway)
Not too long after, an ancestral lot was donated for construction of the first National High School in Paete, to be called PEQMNHS  (Poten & Eliseo Quesada Memorial National High School)

Photo below is one of Lee's volunteer missions in Paete, when she provided training sessions to  the Paete Elementary Schools teachers, parents and the business community, the basics of the desktop PC and the Internet Multimedia on the World Wide Web. 

The AlayComputer project developmental progress, by date:
Barely 2 years after AlayComputer project began, on January, 2003, the 3 elementary schools in
the small town of Paete are now using  their computer classrooms, where the pupils (from Grade 4 to 6),
teachers and parents enjoy the high-speed DSL (Digetel) Internet connection. Alay Computer's ultimate goal is Internet classrooms for 'BatangPaete' to be incorporated with the public school's
computer curriculum.

On August 1, 2005, the e-Mentoring program of Oracle.com was successfully implemented in the 3
elementary school buildings. Most enthusiastic and devoted sponsor, a Paetenian chemistry professor,
Dr. Angel de Dios of Georgetown University, Washington, DC, recently volunteered 3 weeks of his summer vacation, training and working with the teachers, pupils, parents and municipal officials in the implementation of the Oracle think.com program and the Internet/WWW technologies. See detailed news at the BatangPaete forum at the Paete Website.

On December 20, 2005, Paete Elementary School teachers and pupils are now in touch online with
Paetenians abroad (around 400 accounted for) via the very busy Usap Paete forum and Mailing List or Listgroup. Dr. De Dios' Internet Resources Science lessons in the forum are actively used by the teachers and other online science readers on the Paete Website.

THE FIRST PUBLIC NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL ABOUT TO HAPPEN IN PAETE, LAGUNA
The Poten&Eliseo Quesada Memorial National High School (PEQMNHS)

A brand New year: In January 2006 update:  The very beginnings of the first national high school to be situated in the town of Paete was launched after 2 Paetenians sisters (Menchee Q. Fulgado & Norie Q. Catiis donated their inherited piece of real estate in honor of their parents, whereupon a building is now standing and finishing constructions. At this time the nearest public high school where Batang Paete would go is next town of San Juan, Laguna National High School, about a kilometer away from Paete.

By now Paetenians International members have immediately  extended the AlayComputer project to the new and very first public high school in Paete, Laguna. A big percentage of Batang Paete are from poor families. Where the public high school is tuition-fee-free, families without money still cannot send a child to high school because of required entrance school fees.

Another Paetenian, Mrs. Saida Cagandahan-Dulay started the $20-Club Scholarship project for outstanding students in the high school. The Club member will sponsor yearly, for a $20 donation to one 'scholar' to start first year high school, and further on. Donations of $20 is renewed yearly. To date the club is sponsoring 300 to 400 scholars every school year.

While the new high school building is being constructed, the first group of First Year class were already holding their classes at the un-used Upper 'Palengke' (public market) building. The students started calling it U.P. (as in the 'dream' educational institution called the University of the Philippines) and like the Paete General hospital they call PGH :) as in the famous Philippine General Hospital in the capital city of Manila). This sample of fancy (almost wishful) comments are typical of a Paetenian dialect in light conversations among each other called 'sistihan', meaning general and social conversation.

PHOTO: Below is the first National High School (PEQMNHS) of Paete, Laguna located at the National Highway in Ibaba (lakeside) by the Wawa Park. Left to Right: Students Assembly, The Building, Students going back to their homes in the town proper from school.

February 15, 2007 update:  To date, in Paete, all 3 elementary schools, the first public high school which is still officially a branch of the San Juan, Laguna Elementary School (pending Dep of Ed accreditation as Paete's first public high school to be named Poten & Eliseo Quesada Memorial National High School (PEQMNHS) and the town municipal building are now on Internet wireless network through assistance from the CISCO team. The network is  maintained by the AlayComputer (BatangPaete) project so ably led by Dr. De Dios who is based at Georgetown U in Washington, DC.