Thousands of teachers return to hardship posts

RODRIGUEZ, Rizal – The Malasya-Uyungan Elementary School sits on top of a mountain, the only concrete structure in a sparsely inhabited community. Constructed in 1991, the school closed down in 1997. For the next 15 years, no teacher was willing to work there.

Then, in 2012, a barangay official convinced Jonalyn Marcelino to take the job. The school reopened. Among her students were Dumagat men and women in their twenties. They were the same students who dropped out years ago when the school closed down.

“Hindi ko po alam na ganito kalayo,” Jonalyn says with a giggle.

“Naglalakad kami, tanong ako ng tanong kung malapit na. Malapit na, sabi nung nasa unahan. Yun pala malayo pa! No regrets,” she says.

In truth, the school is just a stone’s throw away from the main hub of Rodriguez, a first class municipality in Rizal. But without proper roads, the school appears much farther than it really is.

Teacher Jocy Siloterio and her husband Michael hiked four hours to the school. They waded through three rivers with slippery rocks. But mostly, they plodded on dusty roads amid unbearable heat.

That route was a luxury, one they take only when they can afford 3 jeepney rides and 2 tricycles to Antipolo, the “short-cut” to Malasya-Uyungan.

The longer route means one long jeepney ride and a 6-hour trek to the school via Sitio Wawa or Barangay Puray in Rodriguez.

There were horses to rent along the way, but at 300 pesos, Jocy and Michael chose to save their money. Jocy, after all, is 6 months pregnant.

“Sa tutuo lang, nahihirapan na ako maglakad. Ginagawa ko yung trabaho ko kahit mahirap kasi mahal ko ang aking trabaho. Gusto kong makatulong sa mga kababayan kong katutubo dahil ako rin ay IP [indigenous people] o Dumagat,” she says.

The school has no running water. A nearby river is used for bathing.

There is no power, no communication facility, and no internet. Teachers have to trek back to town to submit hand-written reports whenever they’re due.

At the end of a long day, the teachers have nowhere to sleep. Empty sacks of rice serve as bed sheets, and rolled-up clothes are turned into pillows.

But Aladin Allah chose this life over his job at an air-conditioned call center. “Naging teacher ako sa bayan bago pumasok ng call center,” he explains.

“Pero hinanap ng katawan ko yung pagtuturo. Na-miss ko yung mga bata. Ok lang kahit mas mataas ang sasahurin ko dun, mas gusto ko pa ring magturo,” he says.

Aladin, Jocy and Jonalyn are among thousands of public school teachers who will return to hardship posts this June. The Department of Education (DepEd) has allocated 1.174 billion pesos in hardship allowance for teachers assigned to isolated areas, multi-grade teachers and mobile teachers.

But for all their trouble, the allowance only translates to an estimated P1,000 to P5,000 in extra pay per teacher each month.

Education Assistant Secretary Jesus Mateo says the Department is left with little choice when it comes to building schools.

“We don’t normally purchase school sites. Most of our school sites are donated to us or given through presidential proclamations. More often than not, these sites are not in safe grounds. We have no option but to build there,” he says.

Mateo says, while building and renovating schools are the primary responsibility of the DepEd, local governments are responsible for building roads. “May budget kami for construction of building. But the issue of access, that’s not our function. Water, electricity, that’s not our function,” Mateo says.

To Richard Zonio, the teacher-in-charge at Malasya-Uyungan Elementary School, the roads would greatly ease the burden of teachers and students. “Sana po yung local government maayos yung daan para yung mga sasakyan ay makarating kahit sa medyo malapit sa school,” he says.

Rodriguez Mayor Elyong Hernandez says he does plan to build a road all the way up to Malasya-Uyungan school. In fact, he says he’s set aside one million pesos for the project in 2014. “Papahanap ako ng way papunta ruon. Siguro sa isang taon, magsimula kami, ” Hernandez said.

But the mayor failed to give any concrete plans on the construction of the road.

It’s likely a swimming pool the municipality is building as part of an eco-tourism project may be finished before the road to Malasya is paved. Construction of the pool began last February. Hernandez admits the pool is a priority project. “Kung yan ay ma-develop, siguradong dadagsain ng tao, income yan ng bayan,” Hernandez explained.

For now, the road to Malasya-Uyungan school is nothing more than a promise.

But with or without a road, the teachers remain committed to their calling. –Gigi Grande, ABS-CBN News