Little faces, big smiles

Last week, I had the pleasure of being among school children whose faces lit up with excitement at the Balik Eskwela drive, one of Meralco’s corporate social responsibility initiatives led by One Meralco Foundation (OMF). More than 300 students from kindergarten to Grade 2 at Salapan Integrated School in San Juan City received school kits packed with tracing workbooks, storybooks, flash cards, pencils and crayons.

The school also received a brand-new “Reading Nook” to nurture a love for reading, while Meralco Bolts players surprised student-athletes with autographed basketballs – a small gesture that could spark a lifelong dream. Mayor Francis Zamora was there to lead the distribution, sharing a few words on the value of education. The event was a fitting reminder of OMF’s vision: no Filipino left in the dark– not just in their homes, but in their classrooms too.

I could not agree more with the good mayor’s stand on education. With so many challenges threatening the country’s learning system, initiatives like this remind us that education deserves our collective support and that partnerships between LGUs and the private sector can make a direct and lasting difference in students’ lives.

Education has always been the great equalizer —  serving as a bridge to better one’s life and contribute to the improvement of the community and the country. It can level the playing field regardless of where a person comes from. A child born into poverty may not inherit wealth, but with quality education, they can break cycles of disadvantage and inequality. Countless stories of successful professionals and entrepreneurs prove this and I always look forward to hearing more.

Our education system, however, faces a roster of challenges that stand in the way of this promise. More recently, safety threats triggered by reports of school shootings, learning disruptions left behind by the pandemic, the worsening impact of climate change and the lack of adequate resources and facilities in many public schools continue to widen the gaps we are trying to close. Just last month, several schools in Metro Manila and various provinces had to suspend classes for weeks due to heavy rains and flooding, with some even converted into evacuation centers.

Collective action is needed to address these. Fortunately, there are those already answering the call.

In Pampanga, business leader and philanthropist Manuel V. Pangilinan personally led the distribution of relief packs to evacuees seeking shelter at the Jose Escaler Memorial School in Barangay San Juan, taking time to listen to residents’ needs firsthand. It was a quiet but powerful reminder that education and community resilience are deeply intertwined– that rebuilding a community often begins with protecting its schools.

Situations like these underscore a simple truth: we cannot leave the responsibility of providing quality education to our youth solely to teachers and parents. It must be a shared mission across different sectors of society, including government, law enforcement, families, the academe and the private sector.

This is why initiatives that support schools and students matter, since these are investments in human capital. A pencil, a storybook, a reading nook, an autographed basketball – small as they may seem, these are the building blocks of a child’s future. Support like this should not be treated as a one-off gesture but should be sustained and scaled, so that programs like Balik Eskwela become part of a broader and lasting movement to close learning gaps and empower communities.

The challenges facing our schools – especially public schools – call for more than good intentions. They require long-term investment, policy reform and collective resolve that go beyond the classroom and the teacher’s desk. Supporting education means prioritizing the safety, health and overall well-being of every student, so that no child has to choose between learning and simply feeling safe.

Parents and guardians must remain active partners in their children’s education. LGUs must ensure that public schools are safe, disaster-resilient and properly equipped. The academe must also keep evolving so that what is taught in classrooms stays relevant to a fast-changing world. And the private sector must continue to show up. Show up with resources, mentorship and opportunities that carry learning beyond the four walls of a classroom.

If we plant the seeds of good education now, I pray I may live to see those little faces I met that day grow into the doctors, engineers, teachers and leaders our country will need. I have seen enough of life to know this: an educated nation is an empowered one. That is why every school kit, every reading nook and every hand that reaches out to a struggling community is a promise kept – a promise to a future I still believe in – with Filipinos who are educated, empowered and ready to take on the world.