Macaingalan Elementary School Teacher's similar experiences..

The teacher who goes from mountain to mountain

By ANGELO G. GARCIA

October 3, 2011, 4:08am

Mobile Teacher — Alternative Learning System teacher Nelfa Cepillo has to travel by motorcycle and on foot just to reach the learners of the Mangyan tribe in Mindoro.

MANILA, Philippines — In  the mountain outskirts of Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro, the parents of Nelfa Cepillo bought a piece of land on which they built a modest home and lived a simple life among the Mangyan, an indigenous tribe in the said province.
As Cepillo recalls, her mother would ask these natives to tend to their small vegetable garden for a fee.
“Lumaki ako sa bundok. Nakahalubilo ko sila (Mangyan). May time na may naglilinis na Mangyan sa aming taniman. Siyempre ‘yung pamumuhay namin, hindi gaano kalayo sa kanila,” Cepillo recalls.
Back then, Cepillo already experienced the life of the Mangyan and saw how difficult it was. Like these tribesmen, they were not rich and they were struggling especially with seven other siblings sharing her parents’ resources with her.
It is with this experience that Cepillo swore to herself that she would strive to lead a good life. So she pushed herself to be a good student, graduated valedictorian in elementary, and was granted scholarship in high school. Graduating from the Divine Word College in Calapan with a degree in Elementary Education, Cepillo would go back to the mountains to teach the children and adults of the Mangyan tribe.
From mountain to mountain
Cepillo started teaching the Mangyan community under the Alternative Learning System (ALS) in 2001.
She endured walking to different areas in the mountains of Puerto Galera to reach the different Mangyan communities and teach them the basics of reading, writing and counting. At one point, she had to buy a motorcycle for easy travelling.
“Mahirap noon kasi ‘yung anak ko na one and half years old, kasama ko sa pagtawid ng ilog. Sabi ko nga ang nasa formal school sa baba, pauwi na sila sa bahay, papasok pa lang kami sa school,” the 40-year-old teacher shares. But Cepillo never really complained when she was tasked with this job. After all, she always wanted to be a teacher ever since she was a child.
“Kapag nasa community ka ng Mangyan, kailangan ilalagay mo ‘yung sarili mo sa kanila. Hindi mo kailangan na dumating sa kanila ng naka kolorete or else hindi ka nila papansinin. Ang problema ko ‘yung ‘pag punta sa area kasi risky, may mga encounters (with rebels) na malapit sa area. Nung 2003, mismong tapat ng school may encounter,” she says.
“Hindi naman ako nahirapan mag adjust, financially mahirap pero nageenjoy ako. Andun kami sa community talaga inaaral naming culture nila, ang lenguwahe nila kasi mahirap idikit mo ang sarili mo sa kanila kung hindi mo ilalagay sarili mo sa lugar nila.”
At times, she would stay with them for an entire whole week to teach the children. She would also share the small amount of food that she had with the hungry children.
“The whole week dun na kami tumitigil sa community. May time na nauubusan kami ng pagkain, siyempre nagugutom din ang mga Mangyan so, nagagalaw nila pagkain namin. Sabi ko nga, ‘yung pagkain na isusubo mo na ibibigay mo pa sa kanila,” Cepillo shares.
And sometimes, she would follow the tribe from mountain to mountain just to reach the children whom she wanted to teach.
Changing their ways
Despite the hardship, Cepillo was able to slowly penetrate the community by helping them with tasks that are as simple as giving them proper water to drink. Working beyond her duty is something she chose to do, especially experiencing the tribe’s conditions first-hand.
“Kung magagawan ko ng paraan, ngayon kahit nasa ALS ako, lumalapit ako sa individuals kahit sa mga foreigners humihingi ng tulong. Kasi sa community nila, ang tubig na iniinom, naghuhukay lang sila sa gilid ng ilog, alam naman natin na hindi puwedeng inumin ang tubig sa ilog, may bukal pero malayo,” she says, She also taught the adults in the community basic literacy, health, and sanitation.
“They have to be educated in cleanliness, kasi poor talaga ang sanitation nila. Ang katwiran nila kapag naging malinis sila, hindi na sila Mangyan, which is maling mentalidad,” she says.
She is happy to report that somehow, these adults are changing their ways.
She was able to establish the Iraya Mangyan Basic Computer Literacy Program and the radio-based instruction services for the community. “‘Yung mga batang Mangyan na natututo mag-computer. Makikita mo sa mga mukha nila na ang saya-saya nila, nakakapaglaro sila. ‘Yung makikita mo sa kanila, lalo na sa mga magulang, kung dati ang iniisip nila, ganito lang naman ang buhay o kaya ‘yung mentalidad nila na ako’y matanda na. Nababago ‘yung mentalidad na ‘yun, malaki ang pagbabago katulad sa kalinisan,” she explains.
She was also able to teach simple composting so that the community could plant vegetables. She even asked for free seedlings from the local government. With the help of sponsors, she was able to put up a permanent learning center for the Mangyan community.
Teacher Forever
Although she is spending less time in the Mangyan community today, Cepillo still teaches out-of-school youths in the lowland areas of Puerto Galera. She says that she will keep on teaching because this is her life-long vocation.
“Kahit nandun ang hirap, pagtuturo talaga ang pipiliin ko kasi pakiramdam ko mas marami ako natutulungan. Kung ang heart mo nasa work, walang imposible,” she says.
Her dedication to her work was recently recognized when she was named as one of the four teacher-honorees of Bato Balani Foundation, Inc.’s The Many Faces of the Teacher, which aims to recognize outstanding teachers and their contributions to education. This is in partnership with Diwa Learning Systems.
The only advice she can give to young teachers is to have patience and to love their work.
“Sa mga batang teachers, eto ‘yung time na mas maganda kesa sa time namin. Basta ilagay lang nila ang sarili nila sa teaching profession kasi ito pinili nila. Love the profession and dun nila makikita ‘yung love in return ng mga bata,” she ends.