Stories of teachers as heroes

MANILA, Philippines - For years, the Bato Balani Foundation has been searching all over the country for stories of remarkable teachers to inspire thousands of other teachers through “The Many Faces of the Teacher” program.

Last year, The Many Faces of the Teacher honored Nelfa Cepillo, an Alternative Learning System (ALS) teacher who treks three to four hours through the mountains of Oriental Mindoro to reach her students. Aware of their poverty, she toils to make education accessible to the Mangyans, leaving her less time for herself and her family.

Fellow ALS teacher and 2008 honoree Jenelyn Marasigan Baylon of Oriental Mindoro rides for hours, braving the threats of the mountains and using personal time and resources to bring education to where it is needed. At times, she sleeps with the Mangyan communities for a week to encourage them to attend the night sessions that she holds on basic and functional literacy.

The Many Faces of the Teacher’s first ALS honoree, Ronyla Alejo Santiago of Nueva Ecija, is a picture of selflessness, perseverance and faith.

Walking about 10 kilometers to teach minorities, out-of-school youth and adults; going to MNLF integrees camp in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija; hosting a Home for Girls (HFG) also in Palayan City to counsel and mentor abused girls – these are just some of the things she does to live her philosophy: “What you do to the least of your brothers, you do unto me.”

To the least of these brothers, these special education teachers give their time.

Elsa Grafino-Duran of Cotabato City, 2007 honoree, works non-stop to illuminate her students’ lives. With her own hands, she helps poor and autistic students face everyday challenges by teaching them important life skills to help them live richer and fuller lives. She even feeds and clothes them with minimal outside funding, depending instead on the sales of her vegetable harvest.

2009 honoree Virginia Amanon of Midsayap, Cotabato also teaches Special Education (SPED) and is a fiery advocate of equal opportunity. She has devoted her time, energies and resources to her school’s SPED program. “I believe that children with special needs are doubly marginalized. Often they are not the priority, their access to education is taken for granted; the children have a hard time getting the benefits and the privileges due to them.”

Rosebelle Ligaya Mercurio, 2011 honoree, holds the same belief. She uplifts the differently-abled of Carmona, Cavite through education, noting that many parents do not know how to deal with SPED learners. “I needed to really educate the parents more than the children, help them realize that there are options and there is hope.”

Time and other personal resources are oftentimes necessary sacrifices for teachers. Some are even willing to go beyond the call of duty just to fulfill their mission.

 “The roof of my school has bullet holes,” narrates 2011 honoree Concepcion Tadifa Tababa, an ALS teacher based in Tubugan, Iloilo and 2011 honoree. “When I walk to where my learners are and to my home, it is not unlikely that I will encounter members of the New People’s Army (NPA) or military personnel.”

Traveling anywhere from eight to 18 hours to reach her community, Tababa explains that though the many clashes between the military and the NPA in their area have made her family uneasy, she believes the risk is worth taking.

In all these, there is one root – poverty.

Growing up in this situation, 2010 honoree Efren Bino of Bacacay, Albay says that his parents had always impressed upon him the importance of getting an education.

“My parents had such a hard time sending all six of us to school,” shares Bino. “It was that experience that intensified my desire to teach impoverished students in the islands.”

Noaima Metmug of Lanao del Sur, 2009 honoree, grew up in a place that has been unfairly discriminated against. Determination, intelligence, compassion and a clear vision for nation building have been central to her teaching career.

Fellow Mindanao-bred and 2011 honoree Anabel Ponce Ungcad of Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur became a teacher with a single purpose: to help her fellow Bagobos overcome illiteracy. Ungcad became the first Bagobo to graduate from college and for eight years, she has been teaching under Sta. Cruz’s ALS program,

These teachers did more than just deliver education. They rallied communities to raise funds for classrooms, libraries, literacy centers. They became champions of causes. They became heroes.

Bato Balani Foundation is preparing to tell a new set of inspiring stories when it reveals its new honorees for The Many Faces of the Teacher this month. It also encourages everyone who knows such stories of heroism to tell these stories so that thousands more will be inspired.