By: Iris P. Concepcion
A good friend of mine had advised me to write about the efforts of our high school batchmates in building a school in Mindanao.
It started with an idea which culminated into fruition sans the elaborate trimmings of corporate plannings. What they possessed are good intention and a sense of community to build a concrete project that could benefit school children on a long term basis. It was initiated by Congressman Angelo Palmones (Agham Partylist) and the Notre Dame of Kidapawan Batch 83 class.
I had often communicated with these people. Aside from the usual merry making gatherings, they usually discuss about how to give faster medical assistance to people in rural areas. Another friend had been gleefully spearheading the Oplan Tuli (free circumcision) for years now as a barangay head and while it often draws hilarious side stories, the purpose of the free ritual had been successful. Medical vaccinations for children in the area are, moreover, systematized. The batch had likewise undertaken a bloodletting activity which drew sizable recipients this year. They are not transported parachutists who can ably discuss policies in the powerpoint level but are quite shortened when it comes to actual, deliverable, social ameliorations on the field.
Again, these people are not organized. The idea was built around fortyish people who had thought of giving back something to the community. No, they are not actors either with stash of cash funneled to their foundations. Does good intention translate to something visible? These bunch of guys showed that it can be done, with comedic fun on the side. I have seen their initial efforts in pictures as they placed the cement and hollow blocks themselves. I am here in Thailand and could not join the noble act of these classmates. As an aside though, I already know how to put tiles on floors. I saw how it is done in Takuapa. The curious people perhaps thought I was gallivanting with no verifiable "concepts" filling my brain and with food only in my mind. It was informative.
I do have my sling bag on but I always notice the pavements and posts and gardens. Part of my nomadic education.
I asked how much the batch had spent in building the school. My friend told me that the buzz started off through Congressman Palmones' influence in persuading the moneyed to pour some of their profits to the project. He did not wait for his Congressional Development Fund (CDF) allocation to have this materialized. He is a respected radio broadcaster and is affiliated with radio DZMM. The point being, one need not attend a Build-A-School project symposium as patterned in other countries to make this thing work. The opening ceremony was not done in a lasvicious pageantry. The batch chipped-in food for its inauguration and the more affluent donated roasted pig.
The building had been set and this did not stop the group from doing other worthwhile causes. Through Internet chatting, I was asked if I could pinch in inputs to have a science-based curriculum, what with the burst of materials that may be readily sourced from the web and the availability of several books on these. I said, build a credible library first. I am quite excited over the fact that an Albert Einstein descendant could teach kids in remote areas how to fly a plane. Dreams do start from the outrageousness of thoughts sometimes.
I did propound that the additional years required by the government for high school are meant to equip the students with technical knowledge, similar to those adopted in Japan and other first-world countries. Practical things such as driving, plumbing, carpentry, manufacture of radios and television sets could be taught. This is how Sony, the Japanese appliance icon, had jumpstarted it using Japan's tecnologically-advanced workforce. I have seen the curriculum of TESDA-based trainings and was impressed by the shortened but useful subjects they had incorporated in it. Aside from medical trainings, enrollees are likewise taught foreign languages to prepare their communication skills for potential places of deployment. I think it has foresight. The preparation is based on actual groundwork and exact places of working environment, ever sensitive to the nuances of different cultures when working abroad. Even as a personal knowledge, it is impressive to hear someone from Mindanao speak Mangyan, Bisaya, Tagalog and French.
We, Filipinos, do have deepened concepts and precepts about development. With big ideas bumping everyone into creative consciousness. It takes guts to start the ball rolling though. Congressman Palmones silently worked to have this rolling even with the absence of organized funding. What use is a perfectly-managed organization, established to improve drainages, when we still see clogged canals in a far-flung barrio? It does not make sense to me. I had often wondered why the opulence of corporate brainstorming could not be translated into actual, visible public structures. We do not have a lasting brand of gadgets when we could readily imprint our Pinoy-ness in our own raw materials. We have a lot of spaces but they remain idle. We see unused drums but we do not see them as viable playgound materials for parks. We are still stuck with our bahay kubo and nipa hut concepts of ethnicity when they could be transformed to effervescent, worldclass originality. Where are our artists hiding? What is their problem? Are they given enough money to genuinely improve the visual look of our country? Are they outpriced by highly evolved technocrats? I ask again: What is the problem?
This Notre Dame batch saw the problem. It did not pass the buck to institutionalized planners. A school needs a building. How can we help? is their immediate query. How much money do we need? was the follow-up question. What is the time frame for the project to be finished? These are not consultants being bombarded by graphs and maps. They are comprised of doctors, nurses, medical technologists, housewives and entrepreneurs. They did it though, without fanfare. Their access to popularity? Only Facebook.
It can be done. Think of the possibilities if these people have access to international funding sources. Imagine what they can do to the country.
My contribution here is to provide a title to the program. I wrote:
Inauguration Of School Building For Inclusive Education. I do not know if they used it.
It is puny. And I pride myself as an influence peddler. But for inspiration? It is tops.
As an aside:
I did ask who Christopher Lao is at the Internet. He is a good looking chap I suppose who owns messages coming out of television five to six years ago. Official Statement from Christopher Lao:
The past few days have been very disheartening for me and my family. As you know I have been a subject of a viral video that showed my helplessness during a trying moment. As it stands right now, I have several hate pages in Facebook and Twitter with hurtful and derogatory messages attacking my person. The reputation that I built the past years has been besmirched. A bad day has now turned into wounded feelings and sleepless nights for me and my family.
I have been silent the past few days as I want this to go away soon but not before saying sorry and thank you to people who matter.
I would like to apologize for my behavior that was seen on nationwide television and now on the internet. It was unfortunate that I was caught on camera immediately after an overwhelmingly stressful mishap.
I would like to again sincerely thank those who braved the flood to help a distraught stranger like me. Their selfless act reminded me of how dependable Filipinos are in times of crisis.
Lastly, I would like to thank my family, friends and all of those who showed empathy, consideration and support throughout these trying times. You have given me strength and courage to rise above and be a better person.
Sincerely yours,
Christopher Lao