Konting Bato, Konting semento

MANILA, Philippines — Sitio Bato, a small isolated community located in a mountainous area in Brgy. Sapang Bulac, Doña Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan, is home to around 250 residents from the indigenous people (IP) of Dumagats. Residents do not have access to electricity, basic supplies or phone reception.

Within this community, there is a small elementary school that accommodates 65 students who share one classroom made out of tabla or coco lumber. Their teachers divided the classroom by hanging a sawali or a woven bamboo mat in the middle.

Zandro Donceras, who has been teaching in Sitio Bato Elementary School since he graduated in 2013, leads the school as the teacher-in-charge, or acting principal, together with three other teachers.

They go up to Sitio Bato every Monday to teach students, a trip of about three to four hours on foot. They sleep in the school during weeknights, and go down after their classes on Friday afternoons.

Zandro’s experience as a teacher in Sitio Bato comes with challenges. Before he was joined by his fellow teachers, Zandro was able to successfully educate 81 students single-handedly in a single classroom. He handled Kinder to Grade 3 levels in the morning, and then Grades 4 to 6 in the afternoon.

He used to sleep at the school all by himself. It was so difficult that Zandro once requested to be transferred to a different school closer to his home. Nevertheless, he eventually went back to teach in Sitio Bato because of the love he felt from his students.

“Iba po yung pagmamahal na binibigay nila. Iba yung pakiramdam kapag mas nakakatulong ka sa mga katutubo (The love they give is unique. It feels different if you’re able to help our IPs),” he says.

Zandro continues to teach, hoping to witness and help the first ever Dumagat who will finish college.

Seeing the difficulty that the teachers and students of Sitio Bato were experiencing, the management team of cement maker Eagle Cement wanted to create a better learning environment for the Dumagat children.

Annaline Buizon, Eagle’s community relations officer, says Eagle’s management team believes that education is the only thing that could help Sitio Bato residents lift themselves out of poverty. Eagle donated a three-classroom building, which also includes a principal’s office and comfort rooms for teachers and students.

Sitio Bato students share a light moment with Eagle Cement AVP plant manager Paul Serrano

Prior to this project, traveling to Sitio Bato would involve having to walk or ride a habal-habal over a narrow and treacherous dirt road. Thus Eagle also initiated a project to widen and improve the road so that the materials to construct the classrooms could be brought in.

“We hope this project would help the community become self-sustainable. We also look forward to the students eventually graduating and achieving success in life,” Annaline says.

According to Zandro, the new and improved road helps him and his fellow teachers transport supplies to the school. “Mas madali na pong nakakababa at nakakapasok yung mga teacher (It’s easier for the teachers to go down and to go to work),” he adds.

Zandro says the building helps their school in many ways. “Kasi dati nagkakarinigan kasi sa sawali lang gawa ‘yung building. Kaya ‘pag nagpabasa si teacher sa kabila, rinig sa kabila. Minsan nga po nagtatanong si teacher sa kabila, ang sumasagot [ay] ‘yung bata sa kabila (Before we would overhear each other since the building is only separated by a bamboo mat. So, if one teacher instructs students to read something out loud, the other class would hear it. Sometimes when the teacher asks something, the class in the other room would be the one to answer).”

The new building also serves as sleeping quarters for the teachers, who now sleep in the principal’s office rather than the open kubo (hut) behind the school’s stage.

More significantly, Zandro says that without the classrooms, the children were lazy to attend school. But now, “Nahihikayat yung mga batang pumasok kasi maganda na yung building nila (The kids are encouraged to go to school because they have a nice building).”

The Eagle Cement team travels to Sitio Bato on a 4x4. Part of their project includes road widening to increase accessibility to the community.

He adds, “Mas marami nang pumapasok ngayon. Yung ibang mga batang hindi pumapasok, sabi nila sa susunod papasok na sila, sa susunod na taon (There are many more children going to school now. Other kids who are not enrolled say they will enroll next year).”

Zandro says that the chairs and blackboards can now fit in the spacious rooms. Teachers are able to design instructional materials and hang them up on the walls, which help students learn better.

Zandro looks forward to the graduation of his students from Sitio Bato and the three other schools he handles. He hopes that after his students graduate, they will go on to obtain college degrees and give back by teaching their fellow Dumagats.

“Pangarap ko po talaga na meron kaming mga estudyante na makapagtapos ng pag aaral na darating ang panahon na sila na yung magtuturo sa kapwa nila katutubo. Napakasarap na dumating yung time na yun na dahil sa amin, kami yung tumulong sa kanila. Ngayon, sila naman ang tutulong (My dream is to have our students graduate and to have them be the ones to teach their fellow Dumagats. That moment would really feel great since we were the ones who helped enable them. We look forward to the day when they will be the ones to help),” he says.

Hopefully with the new classrooms, this teacher’s dream for his students can finally come true.