“My Teacher, My Hero”
Daghan kaayong salamat sa inyong pag-imbita nako aron makauban ko kamo sa pagsaulog sa World Teacher’s Day.
(Maraming maraming salamat po sa inyong muling paanyaya sa inyong lingkod upang makasama kayong ipagdiwang ang World Teacher’s Day.)
Lubos ang aking galak na pumarito sa Cagayan de Oro at nakatutuwang bagamat umuulan sa Maynila ay tila hindi ito maramdaman dito sa Cagayan dala ng init ng inyong pagtanggap sa akin.
Noong nakaraang taon, tayo po ay nagtipon sa PhilSports Arena sa Pasig upang gunitain ang Pandaigdigang Araw ng mga Guro. Ang mga nagsiparoon ay mga guro ng Luzon at Metro Manila. Ngayon, labis po ang aking tuwa na makapiling ang mga magigiting nating mga guro dito sa Mindanao.
Malapit po sa aking puso ang ating mga guro dahil ang aking ina ay isang guro na tubong Isabela. Siya po ang nagturo sa akin kung paano magbasa at magsulat. Sa aming tahanan, ipinamana niya sa akin ang pagmamahal sa pag-aaral at ang halaga ng pagsisikap upang makakamit ng dunong.
My friends,
It is my firmest belief that all I have achieved was made possible because of the education I was fortunate to have received. And if this education was substantial and lasting in any way, it was because of the dedication of teachers who loved their profession and valued the welfare of their students. Teaching was not just a job but a real calling to them. And in the pursuit of that calling, they struggled every day to prepare each one of us for the next phase of our lives.
“My teacher, my hero.” This is the theme under which we gather and no words could be more true. Outside the home, they stand as our second parents and in their hands, our family trusts them to equip us with knowledge, but more importantly, to engrave the best values in our hearts. They push us to look beyond our limitations such as poverty and hardship, in order for us to see that we can build better lives for ourselves if we embrace what education can do to a person’s life.
My mother’s example and the dedication of my teachers inspired me to pursue a law degree after college and once I became a lawyer, I also took a teaching job through the help of Dr. Nemesio Prudente.
Bilang isang guro, sinikap kong higitan ang gilas at husay ng aking mga propesor sa College of Law. Hanga po ako sa pagkadalubhasa nila at sila po ang aking naging pamantayan sa aking pagtuturo.
Dahil po dito, batid ko po ang mga hamon sa isang guro sa pang-araw-araw na buhay. Bukod sa makulay na kasaysayan ng bawat estudyanteng hawak niya, naroon din ang pangangailangang pagkasyahin ang kanyang sahod sa lahat ng kanyang gastusin sa tahanan.
It is no secret that teaching in this country is not a financially lucrative job. Even in private schools, there are teachers who are paid P10,000 per month to handle a workload commensurate to a salary three times that amount. And yet, despite this financial strain, our teachers soldier on with a smile and prayer, and shape our youth, the very future of our nation.
Dakila po ang ipinapamalas ng mga guro sa bawat araw. Marami po ang nangibayong-dagat upang maitaguyod nila ang kanilang mga pamilya ngunit mas marami po ang nanatili dito sa Pilipinas upang pagtibayin ang pag-aaral ng ating kabataan. Ako po’y nagpapasalamat sa inyong lubos na pagmamalasakit.
Daghang salamat kaninyo.
(Maraming salamat po.)
The students you handle today will become the very lifeblood of society in time. They will each find their professional and personal paths in the world and they will make decisions that shall affect thousands if not millions of Filipinos. For this reason, they must be trained well but more importantly, they must be formed well. The values they pick up from home and school are quick to take root in their hearts. Teachers take pains to ensure that only goodness remains in those hearts.
In the Hindu scriptures, the word guru means dispeller of darkness.[1] In our times, we need each teacher to remain faithful to the nature of the guro, and I pray that all of you will continue to keep that heroic faith burning in your hearts.
Our teachers are indeed heroes, and those from Mindanao are especially dear to my heart. As Chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, I would like to sincerely thank those of you here today who selflessly devoted your time and energy to help rebuild the lives that were so suddenly ravaged by Typhoon Sendong. This was not something required of you, but you did not wish to be denied the chance to serve and so you served. If that is not heroism, then I do not know what is.
Mga kababayan,
Nasayod kami sa inyong mga pag-antus. Gusto kong ipahibalo kaninyo nga ang inyong pang-gamhanan naglihok aron matabangan kamong among mga magtutudlo sa aspeto sa pabalay.
(Hindi po lingid sa amin ang inyong mga hirap. Nais ko pong ibahagi na ang inyong pamahalaan ay kumikilos upang makatulong sa inyong aming mga guro sa larangan ng pabahay.)
I am happy to report to you that in December last year, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Pag-IBIG and the Department of Education through Secretary Armin Luistro for a Home-Matching and End-User Housing Loan program.
Under this memorandum, Pag-IBIG will regularly provide DepEd with housing inventories, while DepEd will provide Pag-IBIG with the list of DepEd employees and teachers who have no housing units, along with their corresponding net disposable income. Teachers with no housing unit may then avail of the End-User Housing Loan to buy houses.
Pag-IBIG will also conduct housing loan counseling to prospective member-borrowers and assist in the initial housing loan documentation. The DepEd will then enter into a Collection Servicing Agreement with Pag-IBIG, through a monthly salary deduction scheme.
We are now looking for ways to have this implemented nationwide. This is a modest step, but one that we hope will provide meaningful change to the lives of our heroes.
Para po sa kaalaman ng lahat, ang mga miyembro ng Pag-IBIG ay maari nang makakuha agad ng housing loan at hindi na kailangan pang mag-antay na matupad ang required na membership residency. Ito ay sa pamamagitan ng pagbabayad nang buo ng katumbas sa dalampu’t apat (24) na buwanang kontribusyon.
Hindi lamang po iyan, nilakihan na rin po natin ang maximum loanable amount hanggang anim na milyong piso mula sa kasalukuyang tatlong milyong pisong ceiling.
Binabaan din po natin ang interest sa low-cost at socialized housing loans sa Pag-IBIG: ang mga pautang na apat na raang libong piso (P400,000) pababa ay magkakaroon na lamang ng interest na 4.5 per cent bawat taon. Ang interest naman ng mga pautang na mula apat na raang libong piso (P400,000) hanggang pitong daan at limampung libong piso (P750,000) ay magiging 6 per cent na lamang.
Sa pamamagitan ng mga pagbabagong ito, inaasahan namin na lalo pa nating mabibigyan ng higit na malaking pagkakataon ang ating mga kababayan na makamit ang pangarap nila na magkaroon ng sariling tahanan.
There is so much more that we have to do. Just as the shoemaker often has no decent shoes, our teachers may lack for access to further education. We should take a long hard look at closing this gap so as to give them more tools to teach our young, and make us more competitive with our global neighbors.
I am sure that you have your own ideas as to how the entire profession can be improved and I look forward to hearing from you and carrying these ideas to the proper fora.
But today, let us celebrate the nobility of your vocation and the heroism that each of you exudes. Know that a nation stands because of your sacrifices. Believe that your hands shape our very future. This day is yours and in behalf of a grateful nation, I thank you for your untiring service.
Mabuhay ang gurong Pilipino!
Mabuhay tayong lahat.