TEACHERS ARE PATHFINDERS
DIDNʼT THEY SAY THE ROAD OF LIFE IS LITTERED WITH BLOCKS? OTHERS SHRUG THEIR SHOULDERS OFF AND STAY HAMPERED BY THE BLOCKS. SOME DEAL WITH THEM AND TAKE PAINS TO HURDLE THEM, WHILE THERE ARE THE COURAGEOUS ONES WHO PAVE NEW ROADS AND TREAD UNEXPLORED PATH
Trailblazing educators are being honored by Bato Balani Foundation Inc. and Diwa Learning Systems Inc as the country celebrates World Teachers Day and the culmination of National Teachers Month. These four are pathfinders who lead their students and their communities to find their way to success. Their determination makes the impossible possible. Their leadership opens new doors. Their passion leads to the discovery of new ways of seeing the world. Their creativity is a beacon of hope. And despite the hurdles and difficulties that they face every day, they remain steadfast in their commitment to move all of us forward.
Here are the four honorees of The Many Faces of the Teacher, an annual recognition program that extols the values of the teaching profession by choosing exceptional role models.
LODEMA DELA CRUZ DOROTEO
Inspiring Hope, Building Dreams
Opportunities are hard to come by for a member of a tribal community who grew up in the mountains. However, despite the odds, Lodema dela Cruz Doroteo or Teacher Diday persevered and successfully became the first degree holder in her Dumagat tribe based in Tanay, Rizal.
Her success brought hope to the isolated community that has long been weighed down by lack of education.
Instead of pursuing a better life outside her community, Teacher Diday went back and established “Paadelan E Denomagat,” a one-ofa-kind school that provides the basic education needs of the community and gives importance to the preservation of their culture.
The school started out teaching kindergarten students who had a very hard time traveling to the nearest school from their community. It was a challenging start.
“Nung nag start kami, wala talaga. Wala kaming aklat. Wala kaming upuan. Kailangan ko magimprovise. Nagsusulat kami sa bamboo saka sa bato,
tapos uling, pwede na sya pangsulat (When we started, we had nothing. We didn’t have books. We didn’t have chairs. I had to improvise. We wrote on bamboos and stones. We used charcoal to write),” Teacher Diday shared.
When Teacher Diday found out that some of the Grade 5 students from their community still had trouble reading, she decided to act. At first, she offered tutorials, but eventually, she worked on accepting enrolments of students up to Grade 5.
The students are not the only members of the community benefiting from Teacher Diday’s efforts. She also helps elder members of the tribe by teaching them functional literacy.
“Habang umaangat siya, umaangat kami. Sabaysabay kami (She thrives. We thrive with her. Together), ” shares Lope dela Cruz, one of the tribal leaders.
With the basic knowledge for reading, writing, and arithmetic, members of the community became more confident to transact and trade in the town center.
Teacher Diday also started other livelihood programs to augment the community’s income. The fathers in the community make bamboo containers for honey, which they sell. For mothers who have little kids and need to stay at home, they are given piglets to feed. They also established a community store that accepts barter trades.
Indeed, progress is slowly inching its way to the community because of education and Teacher Diday’s determination.
RUEL EBALLAR JANAMJAM Empowering Lives, Opening Doors
A teacher ’s responsibilities go beyond the four corners of the classroom. This is the firm belief of Ruel Eballar Janamjam of Upian Elementary School, which mostly serves members of the Matigsalug tribe in Sitio Upian in Barangay Marilog, Davao City.
“(Para sa) mga kasamahan ko, ang misyon nila magturo lang. Uwi sa bahay pagkatapos ng pagtuturo. Hindi kasi ‘yan pwede dito. Kailangan maghanap ka talaga ng paraan para ma-improve
yung hanap-buhay nila (My colleagues’ mission is just to teach. They go home after each class. That is not enough, in my case. I need to help them improve their livelihood),” shared Ruel.
He relates that the biggest challenge he faces as a teacher of the Matigsalugs is the lack of food and other resources. That meant students go to school hungry, which affects their ability to focus on lessons. This prompted Ruel to intervene. But instead of addressing the issue with a short term solution, he chose to educate them on how to improve their livelihood, which will have a more long-term effect and is sustainable.
Every Friday, from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m., the tribal council meets for a ritual, followed by a meeting. Ruel uses this opportunity to address the parents and discuss how they can improve their crops. His efforts significantly improved the community’s farming output.
Agricultural concerns were not the only topic Ruel pursued during the tribal meetings. He also dealt with other critical matters such as illegal mining and land disposal. He educates them about their rights as an Indigenous People and guides them through important decisions.
He has created much impact on the community that he was bestowed the honor of Datu Kasandihan.
His most valuable contribution to the community is the establishment of an extension school for Grades 7 and 8 students. Today, plans are underway for an independent high school, which will be built on a two-hectare land given by the tribal council for the future Upian National High School.
RICARDO TROTA JOSE, PhD Linking the Future with the Past
As a child, Dr. Ricardo Trota Jose was already passionate about history. For him, history is not simply an anthology of names, dates, and places. “In high school, I was turned off by all of that,” exclaims Dr. Ricardo.
“I was reading books that were written not by the professional historians but the popular ones. They were interviewing survivors of the war. They would show the war from the German, British and Japanese side. That was so beautiful. I was so enthralled by that,” he says.
It fueled his interest for research. However, as a student, Dr. Ricardo hardly had money for anything, so he had to scrimp. He had to walk to interviews; buy cheap, sometimes broken cassette tapes; and go easy on taking photographs to conserve film. But, he found it exciting and developed in him his interest in war.
In 1977, the Philippines held a commemoration of the 35th anniversary of the Fall of Bataan. Dr. Ricardo took that opportunity to talk to veterans. He approached them and asked for interviews. It made him realize that there were so much not written about the war. He found out that the Philippines’ side was the least represented. He knew something had to be done. So, he became a more passionate researcher.
He took up history and when he finished his degree, he pursued his passion to teach.
Because history is a subject based on narratives, Dr. Ricardo’s work as a researcher tremendously benefits his classes. He also makes sure history comes alive in his classes.
He is known in the university for bringing relics, old photographs, newspapers and other tools to animate the past and give students a feel of history. He also uses music to aid students in tuning in to the past.
Dr. Ricardo’s deep love for history eventually made him the country’s leading expert in World War II, Philippine Military History, Diplomatic History and Japanese History.
He is an eminent contributor, consultant, and editor of many historical works. He also delivers papers and lectures in numerous venues in the Philippines and abroad. He remains a much sought-after resource person for films, documentaries, and television programs, both local and international.
For Dr. Ricardo, all of these are other ways of teaching and are extensions of his classrooms. He does these so the past may not be forgotten. He has always believed in sharing what he knows and what he has to those who are interested, not just his students.
DOMINIC ROVER OCAMPO Shining a Light for a Brighter Tomorrow
Because their communities are in remote places, getting an education for members of ethnic communities has never been easy. This leaves them illiterate, objects of bullying, and easy targets for swindling.
As a mountaineer, who is used to roaming the mountains and mingling with tribal members, Dominic Rover Ocampo is very much aware of this situation. This motivated Dominic to leave the comfortable setting of a classroom environment, where he was already serving as Master Teacher II. He became a mobile teacher.
Since then, he has been a bringing light to the Mangyan communities of Mindoro, both literally and figuratively.
He saw that in most communities he reached, there was no electricity. So, he had to bring solar lamps to allow them to study at night, the only time his learners were free from chores and could devote time to studying.
That is the spirit of his “Backpack Alitaptap,” which symbolizes his work as a mobile educator.
Over time, Dominic’s presence has illuminated entire communities.
Dominic handles seven communities. One of them is Sulong, which he considers his model community.
Through Dominic’s efforts, the community received solar panels, making it the first solarpowered Indigenous People’s community in Mindoro.
His other communities are Aruta Village, inhabited by Alangan Mangyans; Camalig Village, which can be reached via four hours of hiking and occupied by Iraya Mangyans; Tinaan Village, the farthest, which takes him four days to trek; Sitio Bituin, Catarata Village, and Pinagpala Village, all with Iraya Mangyans. In Aruta Village, Dominic worked on providing an evacuation center for the residents, which also doubles as livelihood and learning centers. Now, the natives just dig and hide underground to protect themselves during typhoons.