Filipino teachers are more than just plain civil servants. They are mentors and guidance counselors, second parents and friends. They hold in their hands the minds, attitudes and values of future generations.
Though we put so much importance on the quality and standards of education in our country, it seems that an education degree is less desirable compared to other more sought-after college courses. This is a challenge by itself and every year many NGO’s and foundations seek to inspire more students to go into the teaching profession and for more teachers to undergo the training that is needed to improve their skills through various programs.
One such activity is “The Many Faces of the Teacher”. It is a search for the teacher that best represents the nobility of the teaching profession and who garners the inspiration not only of his students but of each person and life that they encounter.
The search and the careful selection of each year’s nominees and finalists have beome a major program of the Bato Balani Foundation Inc (BBFI) when it launched its advocacy campaign for the Many Faces of the Teacher in 2003.
This year’s finalists compose of twelve of the most inspiring teachers that we have today. They are examples of ideal teachers – teachers who go beyond what is expected of them, because of their passion and commitment to their profession. The panel of judges or the Advocacy Review Board for this year is composed of: TMFT Honoree for 2004 Dr. Onofre Pagsanghan; Dr Maria Lim Ayuyao, President of the Foundation for Worldwide People Power; Peter Perfecto of the Philippine Business for Education, former DepEd Undersecretary Juan Miguel Luz and BBFI Chairman Saturnino G. Belen Jr.
The twelve finalists are:
Virgina Amanon, is a SPED teacher from Midsayap, Cotobato who has dedicated her life to teaching children with mental retardation. She has garnered numerous local awards for her contribution to her students and her community.
Jenelyn Baylon, is a Mobile teacher from Naujan, Oriental Mindoro. She travels distances to reach her students and as with all mobile teachers, they handle multi-level and multi-grade students and classes.
Leonides Bulalayao is a High School teacher from Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija. A consistent honor student from elementary to college she went on to contribute her knowledge through teaching. She has been the recipient of numerous awards for projects featuring innovative programs for teaching.
Simon Chua is a Principal/School Administrator from Zamboanga. The author of numerous books on Mathematics, he is also a sought after speaker and lecturer. His experience and affiliations extend to international as well as local organizations. He is also the first Filipino to be given the Pail Erdos Award granted by the World Federation of National Mathematics Competitions.
Father Ewald Dinter from Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro has committed 40 years of his life to education and development in Mindoro and has lived among the Mangyans and served as their mentor and father figure. He travels as much as nineteen hours, sometimes on foot, to reach his Mangyan students.
Margarita Gabriel is from Macrohon, Southern Leyte. Through her guidance and tutelage, their school (Amparo elementary school) was one of the schools to top the National Achievement Tests.
Carmelito Lauron is a High School teacher from Consolacion, Cebu. He integrated the use of Information and communications technology (ICT) in teaching and created innovative ICT programs for use by both teachers and students which was recognized by their local government and other award giving bodies.
Enrico Morilla is a Mobile Teacher from Bataan. He has been given various awards and recognition for his innovative teaching methods and commitment to working with the Out of School Youth and Indigenous Youth specifically the Aetas in their community. His dedication has helped improve the lives of many students in Bataan.
Marcelo Otinguey is a High School teacher from La Trinidad, Benguet. Aside from his commitment as a teacher, he has given a lot of his time to youth development, cultural integration and has been recognized by various government agencies (DepEd, Civil Service Commission, Department of Tourism etc) for his work. He was also a finalist for the Gawad Genny Lopez award for dedicating his life in service for the poor.
Marjorie Palomo is the OIC of the Antonio Llamas Elementary School in Bataan. She has also been declared as the Most Outstanding Teacher in the Philippines by the Philippine Public School Teachers Association – one of the most extensive searches for outstanding teachers in the country. She has also consistently maintained high rankings for their school in the National Achievement Tests.
Armando Salarza has dedicated over 20 years of his life to music through the Las Pinas Boys Choir and the St. Josephs Academy, Bamboo Organ Foundation Inc. He gained his music and performing arts education from Vienna, Austria and has committed his profession to educating the youth and pushing for excellence in music and the arts.
Concepcion Tababa is a Mobile teacher from Tubungan, Iloilo. A multi-awarded teacher she has dedicated her life to the education of the youth and has worked with various NGO’s and LGU’s to promote the causes of the underprivileged.
From the twelve, the list will go down to four. The final four honorees will be presented to the public on 27 September 2008 at the SMEX during Tribute to Teachers, an annual event that brings together the biggest gathering of teachers for a day of togetherness, inspiration and unity for the teaching profession.
For more information you may log on to www.batobalani.wordpress.com or email bbfi@diwamail.com.
Ching Jorge is the Director for Programs and Research of the Bato Balani Foundation Inc., a non-profit organization focused on uplifting the quality of education in the country. Email Ching at chingjorge@gmail.com.
