We were mighty proud and happy when 24 LGUs were given recognition for their outstanding governance in education during last year’s 11^th National Education Summit.  We were witnesses to their journey to become excellent, dedicated education leaders.   Thus, we would not miss the formal conferment of the Seal of Good Education Governance (SGEG) to the 5 winners from Mindanao which was held last April 23, 2018.  Our Mindanao winners are Cagayan de Oro City in Misamis Oriental, Bongao and Simunul in Tawi-Tawi, and Upi and Datu Paglas in Maguidanao.  Their Local Chief Executives were all present to receive the most coveted award in education, namely, CDO Mayor Oscar Moreno, Bongao Mayor Jimuel Que, Simunul Mayor Nazif Abdurahman, North Upi Mayor Ramon Piang and Datu Paglas Mayor Mohammad Paglas.

L-R:  Pres. & CEO of Synergeia Foundation Milwida M. Guevara,  USAID Education Specialist Monica Tan,  Smart Distributor Sales Manager Bernie Deatras, PLDT Enterprise Group Mindanao Ben Melosa, Smart Community Partnership Head Darwin Flores, Datu Paglas Mayor Abubakar Paglas, USAID Deputy Chief of Executive Office Timothy Marlowe, Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno, Simunul Mayor Nazif Abdurahman, North Upi Mayor Ramon Piang, and Bongao Mayor Jimuel Que.

USAID Acting Chief of Executive Office, Mr. Timothy Marlowe, in his keynote speech, thanked PLDT and Smart Telecom for helping the Filipino children.   “The support of  PLDT-Smart  provides  an example of generosity to other private sector corporations and organizations.   It is a great model of community participation and involvement in education.   As a father, I want the best opportunities for my children and I believe education is an investment for the future of our children.”

Also present during the SGEG awarding were representatives from PLDT-Smart: Mr. Darwin Flores- VP for Community Partnership,  Mr. Deivid Rioferio and  Ms. Stephanie Orlino, District Heads  of  Local DepEd, other LGU officials, Ms. Monica Ang-Tan, USAID Program Specialist, Synergeia President and CEO Dr. Nene Guevara  and  Synergeia Program Officers.

The handover of  SGEG marker  and  incentive package from  PLDT-Smart  was led by  Mr. Marlowe assisted  by  Mr.  Flores.  The package of incentives includes a satellite phone,  wifi/internet connection, mobile phone,  solar panel,  LCD TV and others which form part of  “school in a bag.”

“Our joy is beyond words!” was how Mayor Moreno described how he and the other Mindanao winners felt.   The Mayors thanked USAID and Synergeia for the support to their education programs, and PLDT and SMART Telecom for the incentive and technology package.  They committed to do their best always to push for quality education.

Mayor Abdurahman has aptly stated, “we should invest in educating our children and the youth…education is the only way to pull us from poverty.”  Mayor Jimuel Que, one of the youngest Mayors, believes that “education should be a priority of the local government…through education, children and their families will have better lives…I am lucky because the DepEd officials in our districts are hardworking and dedicated to our mission.”

Mayor Paglas was thankful for the capacity building workshops provided under EdGE.  He notes that his LGU now allocates funds to support teacher training, remedial reading and production of learning materials.  The LGU and the communities are now working closely together to address problems in education.   Mayor Piang highlighted the efforts put in by stakeholders in the community to improve the quality of education.  The Local School Board has expanded membership from the business, women and youth sectors.  Parents, taking their children’s education seriously, monitor their children’s study habits and homework, and help reduce child labor in Upi.  There are Barangay School Boards that coordinate closely with principals and teachers on the needs of children.

Mayor Moreno shared that Cagayan de Oro has built the necessary infrastructure to help improve education performance.  Children in the hinterlands will no longer have to walk far to go to school because schools have been built in their communities.   He thanked USAID and Synergeia for providing technical direction to their education program.  “The city’s educational status is our crown jewel. We are molding our future leaders.  We should take to heart our role in education,” said Mayor Oscar Moreno.

Mayor Honey Lumayag-Matti of Polomolok, South Cotabato was among the local chief executives who participated in a Synergeia workshop for Local School Boards (LSBs) on November 8, 2017 in General Santos City.   She admitted the LSB workshop was an eye-opener for her.  She realized the challenge of providing good education to the 30,000 school children in Polomolok and did not want any child to be left out.  She firmly believed that “If we have to invest in human resources, we have to start by providing children with good education.  Education is a preparation for a good future.”

After re-examining its priorities, the Local School Board of Polomolok, which Mayor Matti chairs, approved its support for the training of teachers in reading.  If their teachers teach reading well, the children’s learning performance will improve.

Last July, Polomolok  gathered its grade school teachers to attend a remedial reading workshop facilitated by Synergeia.  The workshop was held at Our Lady of Mt. Matutum Trappistine Monastery, nestled at the foot of Mt. Matutum and a peaceful place that was conducive for learning.

On the first day of the workshop, Synergeia CEO Dr. Nene Guevara taught phonemic awareness to the teachers.  She emphasized that children do not learn reading by rote memorization but by knowing the sound of each letter and being able to blend them.

                                              Mayor Honey Matti  saying the sound of “F”  as  in “Fish”

She also taught the teachers how to develop comprehension among young learners.  When Ma’am Nene read the story titled “The Little Red Hen,” the teachers produced sounds for the different characters in the story, making the storytelling activity fun and exciting.  By making reading fun, children will develop love for reading.

On the second day of the workshop, the teachers were assigned in two groups under Ma’am Nene and mentor Sunny Sevilla.  After more practice exercises, the teachers were asked to come up with creative ideas and activities by which they can teach their students what they learned from the workshop.  One can see the excitement of the teachers as they presented their ideas such as colorful crowns, word mobile, alphabet wheel, flip charts, storybooks and many more. One can feel their personal fulfilment with the new skills they have learned.

                                          Teachers enjoyed preparing creative instructional materials.                                     

And when it was time to leave, one can see from the smiles on the teachers’ faces that they are ready and eager to be better reading teachers to their students.

The LGU and the teachers are prioritizing quality education for their children.  This is indeed a happy beginning for Polomolok.

This makes us proud and happy.  Five of our partner schools in Upi, Maguindanao scored very high marks in the March 2018 assessment of SGCs.  They used to have low scores but in just three years, these schools and their respective SGCs have definitely stepped up. Kabugkabug Elementary School, Passi Primary School, Renti Elementary School, S. Midal Primary School, Tenonggol Elementary School-Annex are now empowered to champion education policies and are more proactive in initiating programs for the schools.

Three of these schools share their stories.  Kabugkabug Elementary School credits the good relationship of SGC officers with stakeholders and the community.  SGC projects receive support from the barangay development fund and the secret ingredient is the SGC Chairmanship of the Barangay Captain and the membership of the School Principal in the Barangay Development Committee.  To raise funds for projects, the SGC has partnered with the alumni association and the PTA, held a bingo bonanza, a foundation day celebration and a “King and Queen” contest.  Some of their projects are concrete fence and installation of wash facilities in front of all classrooms.

Tenonggol Elementary School’s transformation came with the appointment of a new principal. Principal Joven Molanggana along with the SGC president Sheila Marie Arino did a complete overhaul on the SGC. According to Principal Molanggana, SGC President Arino has a gift for fundraising.  We can see this tenacity and drive at how in 2016, after the SGC Level 2 workshop, the SGC planned to construct a makeshift school building for third and fourth graders.  Through hard work, the SGC was able to construct a makeshift classroom made of wood and bamboo.

Many of the schools that Synergeia works with are in far-flung parts of the Philippines and S. Midal Elementary School is one of those, being in a DENR reservation site in the mountains of North Upi.  The population is composed of Teduray, a major IP group in Southern Philippines.  Florencio Midal, the barangay’s tribal chief, is the current adviser and major benefactor of the SGC. He donates wood from his vast farms and woodlands.  The SGC is comprised of dedicated officers who always attend SGC meetings.  Among the projects they have carried out, some jointly with the PTA, are the construction of 2 makeshift classrooms for kindergartens and third to sixth graders, construction of classrooms for first and second graders, a multi-purpose hall, and a school stage.

We imagine the happiness and comfort of schoolchildren in North Upi who have classrooms, wash facilities and school stage for their programs.  This is the true success story to tell.