Teachers brave mountains, rebels to teach indigenous students | ABS-CBN

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Teachers brave mountains, rebels to teach indigenous students

Teachers brave mountains, rebels to teach indigenous students

Bea Zaragosa,

ABS-CBN News

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Students of the Taganghin Primary School join the flag-raising ceremony. Photo by Bea Zaragosa, ABS-CBN News

CAPIZ - It would take them four years in college and an additional one year of review for the board exams before they can start calling themselves full-fledged teachers. And then they realize the hardships do not end there.

Teacher Flordeluna Gallones–Monares first thought of taking a degree in education because she thought it was the only course her parents could afford. She volunteered for three years before she was able to get a regular position in a local school.

However, she did not know she would sacrifice much more as she performs her sworn profession. Unlike other teachers, she, together with Vanessa Garcon and Dexter Feras, must climb mountains, cross rivers and brave threats from rebels in order to reach school and teach the Panay Bukidnon tribe in Barangay Taganghin, Tapaz, Capiz.

Life would be much easier if she were single. She was forced to leave her baby to her sister-in-law in the lowland while her husband, a soldier, is also away for work.

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Because of the arduous trek to reach the school, the teachers spend three straight weeks, including weekends, in a month teaching the indigenous people, and then spend the remaining one week with their family.

Most of them would only have dried fish and canned goods for every meal. The village where they teach has no electricity. Even taking a bath would require them to take another trek.

To cater to the growing size of the enrollees, the 61st Infantry Battalion put up Balay Tulun-an, which the natives use for gathering and for the teachers to use as a spare classroom.

Because there are only three rooms for the primary school, which includes pre-school until grade four, the students have to share classrooms.

The Philippine Army has also been a great help to these teachers as they take charge in the Maestrong Sundalo program.

They teach the elderly and offer alternative classes to them, so they will learn to read and write. But on several occasions, they also teach the children.

Tapaz East District Supervisor Dr. Angel Payo Jr. admitted that the quality of education and teaching is different in the lowlands compared in the uplands.

Despite all these, the teachers have learned to love their profession.

According to them, seeing the smiles of their students is priceless.

However, their effort could have been much more rewarding if they can see the government extending assistance to alleviate the quality of education and living in the community.

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Lalaki pinagsasaksak ng ice pick ng kapitbahay sa Taytay, Rizal

Lalaki pinagsasaksak ng ice pick ng kapitbahay sa Taytay, Rizal

ABS-CBN News

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Patay ang isang lalaki matapos pagsasaksakin ng ice pick ng kanyang kapitbahay sa Taytay, Rizal. Ang suspek, binu-bully umano ng biktima. Nagpapatrol, Christopher Sitson. TV Patrol, Huwebes, 13 Pebrero 2025.

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