“Ushto tay sinmek yu ay ningyali na Sacasacan sina Brigada Eskwela kickoff anna ta maila yu gish na ikakaman na iswilaan miyanna (We are grateful that you thought of bringing this Brigada Eskwela kickoff to our place so that you will also see our school’s needs.),” Kagawad Wilfredo Ongan said in his welcome remarks during the Joint District and School Brigada Eskwela Kickoff of Sadanga held last August 9, 2022 at Sacasacan Elementary School, Sacasacan, Sadanga.
Sacasacan is one of the barangays in Mountain Province, particularly in the municipality of Sadanga that suffered, and still suffering, from the effects of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that happened in North Luzon last July 27, 2022. The series of aftershocks and the continuous downpour caused Sitio Tatabra-an of Barangay Sacasacan to sink by up to 7.2 meters which damaged a road and four rice granaries, forcing five families to evacuate from their houses.
Yet despite this situation confronting this lowly barangay, every able bodied resident of this resilient place joined the Brigada Eskwela Kickoff, with the theme, Tugon sa Hamon ng Ligtas na Balik-Aral, considering that the threat of COVID-19 is still here, standing by just around the corner.
Even with the said devastation caused by the earthquake, the various communities of Sadanga gathered last August 9, 2022 at Sacasacan, Sadanga to respond to the challenge of making sure the schools of Sadanga are safe to welcome the joyful laughter and giggles of pupils to report safely for the start of classes for School Year 2022-2023.
“I support the brigada eskwela of Sadanga!” said Mayor Adolf F. Ganggangan in his statement of support. He even assured the school heads of the various schools of Sadanga that whatever they need for the proper implementation of brigada in their respective schools, the services of the Mayor’s Office are always available. “I can’t assure you that the office will always be open! But I can assure you that the Mayor’s Office will always welcome you, very willing to be at your service,” he added.
This statement of the Mayor was supported by Vice Mayor Paul F. Farong-ey who appreciated the presence of everybody. He was right when he said that the presence of all representatives of the different communities of the municipality will encourage the participation of parents and the community as a whole.
Truly, the presence and statement of support from the different heads of offices and members of the different line agencies and private organizations— the Municipal Fire Station, the Sadanga Municipal Police Station, the Sadanga Patrol Base, the federated PTA, the Anabel-Sadanga Multi-Purpose Cooperative, the different schools of the District, the Senior Citizens’ group, even the alumni and students—encouraged, if not challenged, the participation of the iSacasacans such that there was a significant accomplishment during that day. The help that each participant brought to the kickoff somehow lifted the spirits of the other iSacasacans as evidenced by the smiles that never left their faces until the day’s end.
Of the 14 activities identified to be started during the kick-off, five were completed, one is at 90%, two are at 75%, four at 55% while two are at 20%. The overwhelming accomplishment for the day is a testament of the resilience of the iSacasacans and the spirit of ov-ovfo not just of the iSadangas but of the Filipino people as a whole.
It is also noteworthy that some participants of the brigada eskwela kick-off, even after rendering a whole day’s work at the school, donated money for the continuation and/or realization of the other activities slated for the brigada eskwela of Sacasacan Elementary School.
As Mother Theresa said, “Give, but give until it hurts.” Charles Dickens also said that “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”**Miriam Gladys E. Gomayat, Bernadette E. Taya-an and Lea F. Pangod
