Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Pinoy Kasi: Boystown, Girlstown

Driving along the South Luzon Expressway, I’ve seen Boystown and Girlstown many times from afar, but it wasn’t until last week that I finally got to visit, on the invitation of Ms Marixi Prieto, the Inquirer’s chair.

The event I attended was the inauguration of a new greenhouse at Boystown, donated by Lucio Tan, who personally attended together with another “taipan” [Chinese-Filipino tycoon], Washington SyCip. The greenhouse allows students to gain some experience with agriculture, while producing vegetables for their own school.

I thought the greenhouse was such an appropriate metaphor for the two institutions. Here are students plucked out of the poorest of families to receive an education they could only dream of. The kids have to be nominated by their parish priest, and should have been doing well in elementary school. The nuns themselves visit the families to make sure the child comes from a family in need (so good are their facilities there are better off families that try to get their child in).

Ms Prieto described the Sisters of Mary facilities as “one of the best kept secrets in the country.” And indeed it is. The sisters have worked very quietly without fanfare or publicity, yet what they do would put many of our other educational institutions to shame.[Inquirer.net]

Una muna, salamat kay Mr. Michael Tan sa pagbibigay puwang para sa Sisters of Mary School sa kanyang column. Mainit na usapan ito ngayon sa aming online forum, yahoogroups at alumni chatroom!

Maraming beses na rin may nagsulat tungkol sa Sisters of Mary School, pero ito ang pinakagusto ko. Sapul na sapul kasi ang larawan ng Sisters of Mary School.

May ilang bagay lang akong gustong idagdag.

Over lunch, I asked Sr. Elena Belarmino, who is the academic director, if any of their graduates had entered the University of the Philippines. She said that last year, there was one student who passed the entrance exam, but didn’t push through, worried about the living expenses. I suspect that if there were sponsors who could commit to supporting students’ college living expenses, more would apply to the University of the Philippines (UP) and other State universities, and take courses like journalism or medicine (who knows, maybe anthropology as a pre-med option).

May mangilan-ngilan na rin namang tumutulong para sa mga SMS gradutes na gusto magtapos sa kolehiyo, pero kakaunti lang ang kaya nitong pag-aralin. Kaya nga may proyekto ang ilang mga graduates ng SMS na naglalayong magpaaral ng mga bagong graduates. Nawa'y maging tulay ang article ni Mr. Michael Tan para sa mas marami pang benefactors.

Sa pagkakaalam ko, may ilan na rin namang SMS Grads na nakapagtapos sa UP. Ang totoo nyan, may librarian sa Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas na nagtapos sa Sisters of Mary School at malapit na syang matapos sa kanyang Masters Degree sa UP. May graduate sa SMS Cebu campus na nanguna sa Board Exam para sa mga doktor noong isang tapon. At nitong nakaraang school year, ang daming cum laude sa kani-kanilang mga eskwelahan

Si Kuya Rod Agas naman na board member ng Occidental Mindoro ngayon ay naging broadcaster muna sa kanilang local radio station. Nabibilang sya sa pangalawang batch (1991) ng mga graduates. May batchmate naman ako (1993) na konselahal ngayon sa Siniloan Laguna.

Marami na rin ang mga nagtapos sa Philippine Military Academy. At mayroon din namang mga naging Union Organizer sa mga pagawaan. May ka batch pa nga ako na naging Secretary General ng Anakpawis sa lugar nila.

May dalawa na ring naging abogado. Yung isa ay may sariling law firm at yung isa naman ay nasa DOJ.

Yes, they have their own world in there, but all the kids share their roots in the harsh realities of poverty. And coming to Boystown and Girlstown does expose the children to new horizons. I met students from Ilocos Sur, Mindoro, Quezon, Romblon, Albay, Sorsogon, Mountain Province and Palawan. I knew friendships were being built, transcending regions and languages.

When I got back to Manila, I did an Internet search and found a website set up by the alumni (www.asmsi.or.ph). There was an announcement for alumni from Northern Luzon: an invitation to climb Mt. Pulag.

Nakakatuwa talagang isipin ang pagkakaibigang nabubuo sa mga nag-aral sa Sisters of Mary School. Hanggang ngayon kasi ay madalas pa rin kaming magkasama-sama. Madami ngang nagtataka kasi papaano daw kami madalas magkasama-sama eh samantalang sila, yung mga college classmates nila ay ilan na lang ang nakikita nila.

Hindi tulad ng mga naunang mga batch, swerte ang mga bagong graduates ngayon dahil may "komunidad" na ring naghihintay sa kanila. Kaming mga naunang graduates ang siya mismong nagbibigay ng orientation sa mga magsisipagtapos bago sila tuluyang lumabas ng school.

Tuwing Sabado ay naglalaro kami ng badminton sa Sheridan o di kaya naman ay sa Galaxy. May mountaineering club din kami na binuo at marami-rami na rin kaming naakyat na bundok. Sumasama rin kami sa mga proyekto tulad ng Pagpupulot ng basura sa mga bundok. Sa susunod na linggo naman ay aakyat kami ng Mt. Pulag.

Tuwing summer naman, sama-sama din kaming namamasyal. Last year, 40 kami lahat na namasyal sa Puerto Galera. Nitong nakaraang summer, sa Palawan naman ang destinasyon. Sa susunod na summer, sa Boracay naman ang aming punta! Ang maganda pa dito, halos lahat ng probinsyang puntahan namin, may mga schoolmates kami na syang nagiging tour guide namin!

Pero hindi lang naman kami puro pasyal. Hindi pa rin kami nakakalimot sa aming pinanggalingan. Nitong nakaraang Aug 12, nag-organize ang ang ASMSI ng palaro sa mga bata kaugnay ng Foundation Day Celebration. Tumutulong kami sa pangangalap ng pondo para magpatuloy ang nasimulan ni Fr. Al.

2 comments:

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  2. SOM astig!

    Gildu R. Agoncillo
    Foundation University, Dumaguety City
    OIC,College of Agriculture.

    1st batch, SOM Cebu
    graduated with honors

    1st Placer
    Agricultural Engineering Exam 2000

    some achievement:
    http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/
    dum/2005/03/03/life/fish.dryer.
    bags.2005.innovation.awards.html

    He'll be taking Bar Examination this September.

    yan ang batang SOM.
    mabuhay tayong lahat!

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