MANILA, Philippines - Tawi Tawi has been in the news lately because of the ongoing conflict in Sabah. But unknown to many, there are equally imperative matters to be addressed in the province. One is education.
The students from the remote island of Sitio Siculan have to travel for almost an hour by sea just to reach the mainland of Sibutu. The elementary school is situated there. To aggravate the situation, the kids have to stay for five days in the barangay hall because traveling to and fro is pricey for the families to handle.
Jibal, a 12-year-old Tausug, acts as both father and mother to his younger siblings during school days. Because of extreme poverty, he only serves them rice porridge with salt for breakfast, lunch and dinner. His father harvests “agaragar,†a kind of seaweed that surrounds the whole Siculan Island. If fortunate, they can buy noodles or sardines. The family has no choice but to sacrifice in the name of education. The children are driven by their passion to finish school.
Catch Tawid-Eskwela on March 11 on GMA 7’s I-Witness after Saksi.