ALFONSO LISTA, IFUGAO – – Punong Barangay Jovito Valenzuela will not wait for another decade to have the first-ever public high school of Barangay Sto. Domingo, as the barangay council draws a roadmap for its construction by 2021.
Along with the barangay tourism officer, the barangay council is eyeing the construction of the Sto. Domingo High School at an appropriate site in Sitio Susok of this barangay. The world-class Sto. Domingo High School campus features a three-storey building with 14 classrooms, canteen, library, principal’s office, faculty room, publication room, audio-visual room, science and laboratory room, conference and discussion room and guest/dormitory room.
Passage of the Sangguniang Barangay’s resolution for the project is expected to take place at the soonest time. The resolution was sponsored by Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) chairman Clarence Tumolba, who is an ex-officio member of the Sangguniang Barangay.
“Nothing attracts our grade 6 graduates from pursuing secondary education like having the government’s assurance that there is a public high school in the barangay where he or she is residing,” said Punong Barangay Valenzuela, who is one of the most active village chieftains of Alfonso Lista.
Valenzuela was part of the core group that planned the proposed Sto. Domingo High School.
The articulate and hardworking punong barangay was also a backer of the plan to put up another world-class facility adjacent or not too far to the planned school and tentatively to be called the Sto. Domingo Multi-purpose Gymnasium. The world-class gym is also a brainchild of the barangay tourism officer, who is also proposing that it be known as the Sto. Domingo Sports, Educational and Cultural Center.
The mainstreaming of the barangay council and office of the barangay tourism in the planning of this project helps build the adaptive capacities of marginalized puroks and sitios of the barangay.
Project proponents are reportedly setting their sights for funds to be infused by Ifugao Rep. Solomon Chungalao.
Chungalao, a long time outstanding and respected member of the House of Representatives, is widely acknowledged for his commitment to ensure the provision of high quality educational facilities for the youth sector. He is also committed to providing Ifugao folks access to social services and economic opportunities.
Atty. Chungalao has been a top choice for legislators who are uncompromising and has shown unwavering courage to fight to end poverty, inequality and injustice.
“One of the most dedicated public servants in the Cordillera Administrative Region who brightens the horizon is undoubtedly Congressman Chungalao because his heart is for the children of low-income families,” the barangay tourism officer said.
On the policy front, bills on this concern at Congress call for enactment and inclusion in the General Appropriations Act of 2021 or the national budget. Given the compelling action of the legislature, the Sto. Domingo Barangay Council, at the very least, should prioritize this concern.
Does the project offers opportunities- through curricula and instructional materials, for expanding the role of poor but promising students of the planned Sto. Domingo High School? Yes! Such is the expectation of the project proponents. And their intensity and mood are high. Their strategies are well-attuned. Their decisions are beyond reproach. Building the capacity of the young to tackle an expanded role in the community, economy and society is essential. It is imperative that the state provide a clear-cut policy in promoting education. Consequently, this will surely make the barangay more attractive to the education sector and investors and accelerate its growth.
In the early days of April (during the COVID-19 crisis), the core group began the rollout of this innovative project. A meeting with other stakeholders is pipelined, with the end view of mobilizing them while ensuring that project mechanisms are fine-tuned.
“This is unprecedented,” Valenzuela earlier told the core group at a separate meeting at his office.
Barangay Sto. Domingo has a huge base of young people, many of them living below the poverty line.
Nearly one-third of the Philippines’ population, or about 30.5 million, comprise the country’s children and young people aged 0-24.
It is estimated that 35% of the village’s population falls in this bracket. This is roughly estimated to be 700 youngsters.
Despite pronouncements of the national government that economic growth rate in the Philippines is one of the highest in the region, for instance, at 6.7% for 2017, benefits were not broad-based and have not trickled down to the poor, resulting in wider economic disparities between the haves and have-nots. According to the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), the per capita GDP is estimated at $2,891 (Php 138,768) for 2017. Truth to tell, the absolute number of poor families has remained high. Children of poor families experienced extreme poverty. Poverty only push them beyond the threshold of vulnerability as impoverished youngsters took the brunt of the glaring unequal economic opportunities.
Over the years, the practice of walking four to five kilometers to school and back just oozes with obliviousness in the lives of young learners of this barangay. In this case, nobody in their right minds should say it is alright for his or her child to do just that. It isn’t about being silent on this matter or keeping much time instead talking about the latest hair color of Vice Ganda’s wig at the sari-sari store. It is a waste of time. All of them will pay dearly for their foolhardiness. It is to ask the government to put up a public high school in every barangay in the country. People must understand that they can really help themselves if they assert their rights. That’s all!
Is the Sangguniang Barangay resolution a relevant intervention to address this longstanding problem? Yes! It is also useful to note there is a plan to put an Alternative Learning Systems (ALS) room in the facility. The plan is anchored in a framework that looks at the welfare of the out-of-school-youth. Essentially, this means enticing the OSYs to learn some skills and go back to the mainstream of the education system.
More ambitious results can be achieved therefore, if more strategic mechanisms are to be introduced and implemented. Other strategies to intensify delivery of quality services to the students in policy development, which include but not limited to creative capacity-building, advocacy and generation of training platforms for teachers. Another key strategy is to delve on leadership development of students and this bodes well for their future.
“I cannot stress enough that the project is the best indicator and barometer of the government’s responsiveness to the needs of the people,” the barangay tourism officer quipped.
“For Congressman Chungalao, this speaks well of his competence to lead the people towards prosperity,” he added.
As Punong Barangay Valenzuela and the others in the core group continue to plot out ways and means of spreading the gift of education through the establishment of the Sto. Domingo High School, aound which the platform for change in this part of the country also evolves. There is a certain “call” that speaks to other right-thinking individuals in the town. One can do a lot for this cause. Giving back to the community is the right thing to do. The result will be magnificent at the end of the day.
“Working with well-meaning individuals has allowed me to interact with an inspiring group of professionals and not only to advance the cause of the education sector, but also to help raise the quality of life of those who are experiencing extreme poverty,” the barangay tourism officer asserted.**Anthony A. Araos
