HELPING hands, open HEARTS

Last June 25, the cocks had not even crowed but nine-year-old Arjay Irangan was already awake and preparing to go to school.

"Halos hindi siya natulog," shared his 28-year-old mother Olympia. "Karaniwan ginigising ko siya ng 5 a.m. para pumasok sa eskwela pero kanina 4 a.m. pa lang nagising na siya ng kusa. Excited talaga siyang pumasok."

The reason for the boy’s excitement? He wanted to see what The STAR’s Operation Damayan had prepared for him and his 295 schoolmates at the Malu Elementary School in Barangay Malu, Bansud, Oriental Mindoro.

The school is the third beneficiary of the "Adopt-a-School Program" of Damayan. The project seeks to uplift the educational standards of public schools in the country’s far-flung areas.

"Bago nga siya natulog kagabi, sinabihan niya ako na sumama sa school dahil may mga tao daw na magbibigay sa kanila ng regalo. Sabi din niya iba na daw ang itsura ng school nila," related Olympia.

Damayan was conceptualized by The STAR founding chairman the late Betty Go-Belmonte to extend assistance to the sick and the needy and provide relief for those hit by natural disasters. It is now being continued by her son, STAR president and chief executive officer Miguel G. Belmonte.

Damayan volunteers choose a province and then visit the area to identify a school most in need. The emphasis is on those in hard to reach areas that would not normally receive assistance.

When the program was launched two years ago, Damayan chose Banga-an Elementary School in Banaue, Ifugao as its initial beneficiary. It was followed by the Tabason Elementary School in Tagkawayan, Quezon province in 2003.

This year, destiny led Damayan volunteers to the Malu school nestled in middle of hills and farmlands in the remote part of Bansud town. The school is near a Mangyan community so 20 of its students are from the indigenous community.

After the ferry crossing from Batangas, Damayan volunteers traveled for six hours by truck and van, over rough roads and crossing five rivers. A few days before, tables, chairs and other items for the school were brought over by trucks.

"Masaya kami dahil napili ng Damayan ang aming school. Hindi kami makapaniwala na narating ninyo ang school namin kahit napakalayo nito," said teacher-in-charge Bella Baluyot in welcoming the volunteers.

Baluyot said the Damayan donations have reinvigorated the spirits of the students and teachers of Malu, who previously had to make do with what scarce resources they have in the school.

The Malu school mirrors the state of other public schools across the country–dilapidated classrooms, decaying textbooks, worn-out desks and faded blackboards.

The school has seven decades-old classrooms that accommodate 296 students. It does not have a clinic, faculty room, water system, principal’s office or even a library that is very vital to education.

It is situated on a hillside dotted with banana and coconut trees. Houses are few and far between.

According to Remedios Llanera, a Grade 2 teacher, to reach the school majority of their students have to cross as many as five rivers and trek for two hours through rough trails.

"Kapag karaniwang araw, mula sakong hanggang tuhod ang tubig na tinatawid nila. Kaya kapag umuulan tumataas ang tubig at hindi namin sila pinapayagang umuwi ng walang sundo," she said.

It is for this reason that Llanera and a co-teacher decided to stay over at the school du-ring the week to avoid the long journey that she has to take to and from her home everyday.

"Kapag weekends lang ako umuuwi. Masyadong malayo ang byahe at magastos pa. Nakakapagod," she explained.

Damayan volunteers started the rehabilitation works at the Malu school last May 12. They were assisted by the teachers, parents, townsfolk and officials of the barangay and local government unit in repairing and repainting all the classrooms and comfort rooms.

They also installed a water system, cemented the flag pole stand and built a library, which they also equipped with old and new textbooks and reference books, maps, posters, a globe, office desks, tables and chairs.

Also installed were a computer with printer, television set and DVD player which will be powered by the generator that Bansud Vice-Mayor Primitivo Baluyot was inspired to donate upon learning of the Damayan mission.

The library doubles as the principal’s office and the clinic, which was provided with a medicine cabinet, folding bed, blanket and pillow and a set of basic medicines.

Aside from repairs and a new coat of paint, all classrooms now have curtains, educational posters and wall clocks.

The old and broken down wooden desks and chairs were replaced with brand new ones. Glass windows took the place of the dilapidated wooden ones. Blackboards were cleaned and repainted.

Damayan also donated sewing machines, gas stoves and kitchen utensils for the Home Economics class and a double-deck bed for the stay-in teachers as well as scrabble game sets. For the school’s badminton team, there were three sets of badminton racquets and shuttlecocks, plus sweatpants for the team members.

The school seemed to have literally undergone a rebirth when it was inaugurated last June 25. The affair was graced by Bansud Mayor Ferdinand Tomas Soller, Vice Mayor Baluyot, Department of Education district supervisor for Bansud Anacleta Sales and Remedios Marasigan, wife of Oriental Mindoro Gov. Bartolome Marasigan, among others.

The inauguration took on a really festive atmosphere as the Damayan volunteers pulled out all the stops to make it a memorable affair for students, parents and teachers. The event was preceded by a mass officiated by Fr. Ronald Lasquite, assistant parish priest of the Sta. Joseph Parish in Bongabong town.

"Kahit na sabihin nating geographically undesirable ang Malu, natutuwa kami at napuntahan ito ng Damayan," Mayor Suller told the gathering in his remarks. "Hindi namin malaman kung paano kayo pasasalamatan. Malaking tulong ang nagawa ninyo para sa Malu. Sana ay patuloy kayong pagpalain ng Diyos na makapaglingkod pa sa iba."

Everyone was in high spirits, and even a sudden downpour failed to dampen the festive mood.

Upon arriving at school, the students were treated to a mouthwatering breakfast of champorado personally prepared by the Damayan volunteers.

It was a day for fun, and schoolwork was set aside in favor of parlor games that excited not only the students but their parents and teachers as well.

Some students showed off their moves in the ‘stop- dance‘ contest. Others got to test the power of their lungs during the flour-blowing contest.

The school yard was filled with laughter and screams during the body contact, pabitin and basag palayok games.

Nine-year-old Raymond Almerol, a Grade 4 student, could not hide his delight while clutching the pillow that he won during the body contact contest.

"Masaya ako. Ngayon lang po ako nakasali sa ganitong contest eh," he admitted with a wide grin.

One of the most exciting games was the palo sebo, in which participants had to climb bamboo poles polished with grease. The one who got to the top of the pole and grabbed the flag was declared the winner. Contestants, however, found it hard to reach the top of the poles, but the spirit of bayanihan took over as the men stood on each other’s shoulder to reach for the flag.

Most students were initially shy to participate in the parlor games, but as the program progressed, they tried to outdo each other in participating in the games and numbers. Prizes awaited winners, but nobody went home empty-handed as consolation prizes were given to the non-winners.

When lunchtime came, the students were served delicious spaghetti, hotdogs with marsh-mallows and crispy fried chicken, again prepared by the Damayan volunteers themselves. The spaghetti was especially popular with the children.

But Damayan’s treat did not end there. Each student went home with a new backpack filled with school supplies and a new set of uniforms.

"Nakakapagod pero masaya," was the assessment of STARweek’s Alpha Tolentino, who has been a Damayan volunteer for –– years. "Napakalayo ng lugar. Akala nga namin hindi na kami darating dyan." She has a photo of their pick-up truck forging a river as the screen saver on her computer. "Pero nakakatuwa, lalo na ang mga students. At ang ganda-ganda na ng school nila ngayon!"