`A wonderful gift’

A mother’s heart pounded with worry every time her two young children walked two kilometers of rough road to attend school at Pisawak Elementary School in adjacent Siocon town in Zamboanga del Norte. Veronica Anoy, 34 , a mother of four, lamented on her kids’ daily ordeal. For many years, there was no proper school in Kilalaban, a remote village in Southern Philippines where her family resides at the Baliguian municipality also in this province. Many village children went through the same misery as the Anoys did if they wanted to go to school.

Then one day, construction materials in the form of cement, iron bars and galvanized iron sheets began to arrive in Kilalaban and soon construction of a two-room school building followed. Upon completion, officers of TVI Resource Development Philippines, Inc. (TVIRD), a copper-zinc mining firm operating in Canatuan, turned over the new school to village and town officials and the local executives of the Department of Education. Most of Canatuan lies in Barangay Tabayo in Siocon, but part of it straddles Baliguian.

“We are so happy that finally our school right in our own village is completed,” says Emmalyn Sumalat, a grade four student who wants to be a teacher someday. She relates that she and her classmates used to attend classes in the barangay assembly hall, which oftentimes was overcrowded with other students. “We just couldn’t hear each other because of the noise. There were just too many of us in the small hall.”

Unlike Emmalyn, who is fortunate enough to be able to go to school, 12 year-old Rene Lumayas had to quit studying due to economic difficulties and the fact that the nearest proper school was just too far and the barangay hall was too cramped.

“Besides, I had to help my parents earn a living because times were really hard,” Rene, who dreams of becoming a geodetic engineer, avers. He admits that deep inside, he envied the children studying in Pisawak and at the barangay hall.

Now that Kilalaban has its own school, he has resumed his schooling and vows that he will complete his studies so that he can work for TVIRD someday.

Built at a cost of P628,000, the Kilalaban school building is part of the TVIRD’s continuing commitment to promote Responsive Education among its host and impact communities under the company’s Social Development and Management Program (SDMP).

But Jose Dagala Jr., Superintendent of the Community Relations and Development Office (CREDO) of TVIRD, who implemented the project, emphasized that not all was funded by TVIRD-CREDO. Barangay Kilalaban residents provided its own counterpart contribution to the project in the form of labor as able-bodied men in the village offered to assist in the construction of the building through the pahina or volunteerism system.

“This project manifests our commitment to the promotion of children’s right to proper education,” says Ely Valmores, TVIRD Canatuan General Manager.

The shortage of classrooms for schoolchildren is a prevalent problem, particularly in far-flung rural areas of the Philippines, mainly due to budgetary constraints on the part of the government.

For his part, Mayor Gani Esmali of Baliguian Municipality appreciated TVIRD’s concern for the education of Kilalaban’s children. He thanked TVIRD for the two-room school building saying that without the company’s help Kilalaban will not have a proper school building.

Residents of Kilalaban consider TVIRD’s school building donation a blessing. “Our children no longer need to attend their classes inside the barangay hall since they can now all be accommodated in the new school,” says Kilalaban Barangay Captain Ramon Sumalat. “Every parent believes that providing education to their children is the best legacy they can leave behind.”

Melita Papud, a 33 year-old mom, is so thankful that her worries about her only son’s studies are now over, noting the difficulties that both teachers and students had to endure when there wasn’t a proper school in their village. Now she’s all smiles and optimistic that her only son’s ambition to be a policeman is on the right track. “TVIRD changed our lives for the better and we thank them for this,” Melita says.

Parents like Veronica and Melita worry no more about their children’s safety and well being as they go to and from school. Everybody in Kilalaban is elated about the new school building. All are thankful for this “wonderful gift of education.” “I wish TVIRD will stay with us longer,” Emmalyn impishly says. ( Erica B. Gurdiel-Etbew)