Malediction on idiot-cation

MICHAEL Abacan, fired up full of his 22 summers of life has to wrack his head on who he can turn to for five keepsake honor medals he would give to the outstanding students he has turned up at Casili Elementary School—it’s a far-flung work post hemmed by boondocks in the remote parts of Montalban, Rizal for a volunteer teacher. For one, he hasn’t been paid his wages for months and even if he wanted to shell out some cash for medals, all he has is the shirt on his back.

Pero mabait naman ang kanyang tinutuluyan saka uliran sa sipag si Michael. Katu-katulong sa pagbabayo ng palay upang may maisaing sa araw-araw, natuto na rin sa pagluluto at pangangalaga ng mga pananim sa kaingin. Kahit iyang pagbabayo ng isasaing ay hindi biro, kulani sa kili-kili’t linsad na balikat ang madalas na mapapalang tutubo.

Abacan takes abode in that swidden farm hut about an hour’s trudge through a terrain gone amok choked with bushes, boulders, and thickets to get to the school where he teaches. That trudge merely takes him 15 minutes. He’d had constant practice trekking through similar topography in his Kalinga hometown where he took up education at the local state college.

Marami raw namang nakakatapos ng kolehiyo sa kanyang pinagmulan. Para masabi nga naman na kahit nakatunganga lang sa maghapon para maghintay sa malabo yatang hinaharap, may maipapakitang college diploma—wala nga lang mapapasukang trabaho.

So he took off for unknown parts and found himself in familiar territory, with soaring hopes that by teaching children, he could make a difference in their lives. He does.

Ni hindi nga nakatagal sa pag-asikaso sa mga bata ang gurong pinalitan sa gitna ng sapa ni Michael—lumipat sa mas maginhawang lunan na mapagtuturuan upang makaiwas sa araw-araw na penitensiya. Baka nga lumipad na papuntang Amerika dahil mas gunggong man at maligalig ang mga tuturuang musmos doon, mas matindi naman ang isusukling sahod sa gurong magtitiyaga.

Michael can’t complain about the pupil-teacher ration that afflicts most public schools in the country, or a roomful of 50 to 75 kids for every teacher. He handles a tenable 35 pupils—in Grades IV, V, and VI—all at the same time in a room more fitting for a pigsty. That means conducting classes as an orchestra conductor does, why, Casili Elementary School has only two intrepid volunteer teachers handling six grade levels… simultaneously. And you thought that only happens in chess—a simultaneous game in which a grandmaster tackles as many amateur comers in one sitting? Abacan does that. Daily with plenty of energy to spare.

Hindi naman kasi madaling puntahan ang naturang paaralan. Malayo nga sa kabihasnan. Kaya nang maglabas ng pondo ang lokal na pamahalaan sa pagpapatayo ng kongkretong gusali, ulbuan ng baboy na walang kalahati ng gusali ang kongkreto’t tinagpian na lang ng maaapuhap na mga tilad na kawayan sa paligid ang iba pang bahagi nito. Nakatipid nga naman nang malaki ang kontratista. Para malaking halaga mula sa nakontratang proyekto ang maibulsa.

We really can’t moderate the greed. Even at such pigpen level, the avarice for money holds sway and is likely a national trait.

Ikinumpisal ni Abacan na may ilang mag-aaral na kilangang ihulog, panatilihin muna sa ika-anim na baytang. Hindi pa kasi marunong bumasa’t sumulat. Naisangguni nga niya sa distritong sumasaklaw sa naturang mababang paaralan ang kanyang hakbang. Sinabihan siyang ipasa lahat ang mga bata’t sumunod na lang sa ganoong utos—baka mawalan pa siya ng trabaho kung susuway…

Honoring pupils with five keepsake medals won’t be much of a problem for Abacan. The cost for such is a lot less than the tab we pay for a night’s session with beer and bravura. Honoring a true-brown mentor like him is another matter, maybe even giving him a hand with books and instructional materials to help him out in his teaching tasks.

Ni wala ngang aklat na mababasa ang mga musmos na ‘yon—at marami nang guro ang sumuko sa araw-araw na penitensiya para makarating lang sa paaralan para magturo…

In the meanwhile, let me turn down speechwriting assignments for politicos and louts who’ll be addressing parents, hangers-on, and graduates in this year’s commencement exercises. Let’s get down to the pigsty level for a change, spread some of that slop and meaty morsels with rancid hogwash on those too distant troughs.

Kaya ba natin ‘yon?