Fr. Jett Villarin, Chairman of Synergeia, started the Trustees’ meeting with this beautiful prayer.  We would like to share it with our partners . 
May we always be protected by the Almighty.

Lord of life,

Help us to listen to what you are telling us these days. Lead us to know what you are asking of us in this storm. You are inviting us to leave familiar shores while the waves are high. You are asking us to make this crossing to the other side while the horizon is dark. We do not know what this other side holds for us. We are afraid, you know our fear.

Give us faith to see you with us now, in this boat being tossed by the waves. Give us hope to hold on to when life rolls sideways and the lurching becomes unbearable. Give us love to give to each other when our hearts break, when we are tired from rowing against the wind, when we are hungry and lost and alone.

Please give us enough light to keep us going, enough silence so we can listen to how you are asking us to take heart, to keep together and not be afraid.

Our old plans are shot, our dreams disrupted. Bring your dreams then closer to ours. Turn our lives so that your longing becomes our longing. We are made in the likeness of you. You are the Lord of the waves and the wind, the giver of life, the conqueror of death. Lead us to draw boldness and creative power from your limitless love. Empower us to find our strength in you.

Help us to be brave. We take the words of Sir Francis Drake to be our prayer today:

Disturb us, O Lord, 

       when we are too pleased with ourselves, 

       when our dreams have come true 

       because we dreamed too little; 

       when we have arrived in safety 

       because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, O Lord, 

       when with the abundance of things we possess, 

       we have lost our thirst for the water of life; 

       when having fallen in love with time, 

       we have ceased to dream of eternity, 

       and in our efforts to build the new earth, 

       have allowed our vision of the new heaven to grow dim.

Stir us, O Lord, 

       to dare more boldly, 

       to venture on wider seas 

       where storms shall show thy mastery, 

       where losing sight of land, 

       we shall find the stars.

In the name of Him 

       who pushed back the horizons of our hopes 

       and invited the brave to follow Him, Amen.

It is a win for all with the signing into law of the Good Manners and Right Conduct (GMRC) Act – for children, for families, for society, for country.  And we are grateful to Congressman Roman Romulo and Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, both part of the Synergeia family, for nurturing the proposal in Congress until it became a law.    

As Congressman Romulo put it, “The institutionalization of good manners and right conduct will provide a balance so that proper conduct, good manners, patriotism and love of country may be instilled among students.”   Alongside him, Synergeia Trustee and mentor, Senator Win Gatchalian said of the bill, “Mahalaga ang GMRC at Values Education sa paghubog natin ng mga susunod na henerasyon ng mga mamamayang Filipino, ngunit napabayaan natin nitong mga nakaraang taon ang pagtuturo nito. Sa pagpasa ng batas na ito, hindi lang natin ibabalik ang GMRC at Values Education, mapupunan din natin ang mga nagging pagkukulang nito.”

GMRC will now be part of the K-12 curriculum and treated as a regular subject in schools.  It will be integrated into the daily learning activities in kindergarten, and taught as a separate subject from Grades 1 to 6. In Grades 7 to 10, it be part of the Values Education subject.   Values Education will be integrated into all subjects for Grades 11 and 12.   Under the new law, or Republic Act No. 11476, teachers with certification, diploma, and training on values education and allied disciplines are given preference in teaching this core subject.

The new law aims to instill the basic tenets of good manners and right conduct in students. An important aspect of it is that it emphasizes actual and experiential methods, rather than just conceptual and theoretical.   Content will be in the Filipino context, allowing the students to easily understand and apply it in their everyday lives. 

Sen. Gatchalian adds, “The new law strengthens learners’ character development and values formation even as the basic education system enters the new normal because of the COVID-19 pandemic.”  Teaching GMRC can only beneficial.   It is big step in the right direction in molding better citizens of our country. 

It is no question that this pandemic has caused major setbacks in our daily lives and especially with education. What can one do for education in the middle of a pandemic with little options for learning? This is certainly the question that has been bothering schools, teachers, and students. Some would wait to be given an answer but not Principal Rogie Espulagar. This devoted and passionate teacher and principal from Bacjawan Elementary School, Iloilo made a way to continue education amidst this pandemic. He came up with a ‘school learning continuity plan.’ This plan aims to provide assistance and support to learners in embracing the new normal. But why did he go through this tremendous effort? He said that he has always believed in the power of education, how it can transform one to be a better person, and give opportunities to broaden one’s horizon. He sees education as the best tool to combat poverty and he believes everybody deserves quality education. He has a passion to help and educate people and sees this as his mission.

Principal Rogie’s continuity plan has several objectives. It aims to provide support and assistance to learners while normal school operations are disrupted and physical access to schools is fully or partially restricted. It utilizes varied learning modalities suited to the needs of the learners while considering the availability of learning resources, ICT facilities, and capability of teachers. It also recognizes the need to capacitate teachers, parents/guardian, and stakeholders to create positive learning environments to learners whether at school, home or community.  Clearly, Principal Rogie had a well-thought-out plan and pulled out all the stops to make education work in the midst of crisis.

He started by figuring out what learning modality is best fit for the students – is it online, offline, modular, and blended learning? He checked the internet access of students.  If a student does not have at least an internet speed of 3mpbs, he or she will have to do the offline learning modality. They will receive physical copies of modules and worksheets, and every week, the teachers will collect their completed assignments.   Students who are struggling can call their teachers for help.

Part of preparation for ‘the new normal’ is online training sessions for the teachers. Principal Rogie wants to make sure the teachers know how to use the ICT materials for conducting lessons. They must know how to use social media apps for communication such as viber, whatsapp, facebook etc. Parents and guardians, too, have to play in the ‘new normal.’ Part of the continuity plan is teaching parents how to create a positive learning environment at home.  He is also preparing for the day when

face to face teaching will be allowed.  He has already fixed a schedule for the students and teachers to maintain the limited number of people who can enter the classroom.

Amidst the pandemic, Principal Rogie finds a way to stay positive. “This (new normal) is a way for us to embrace the ICT world,” he quips. Despite the challenges, his ideal, devotion and passion for teaching keep him going. “When I see the children become successful, then, I can say that part of their success is from us teachers who molded them.” Principal Rogie is definitely an exemplar of an education champion.