Part 2: Braverhearts Reveal

A four-part series on Synergeia’s Solid Waste Management Project with the Coca-Cola Foundation- The Maluso Experience: Of Bravehearts and Green Warriors

When local leaders and communities acknowledge that they need help, it shows how their hearts are braver to confront their problems and challenges and seek better solutions that work best for the brighter future they are aiming for.

Maluso in Basilan portrayed a picture of honesty and resolve in their solid waste management issues that have in many ways crippled their vision of a clean, green and environmentally sustainable place.

Mayor Hanie Bud and his barangay chairmen and other municipal government officials listened intently to the orientation sessions of the Synergeia team whose objective was to further raise their awareness and understanding of the problems arising from the lack of a solid waste management (SWM) plan,  the inadequacy in knowledge of the best practices in SWM and the weaknesses in capabilities of communities to adopt the appropriate discipline and behavior in ensuring cleanliness, health and wellness and protection of the environment.

In particular, Dr. Milwida Guevara raised the importance of having an audit or mapping to obtain strong data, like among others, the quantity and type of garbage a normal household will have which may include recyclable materials like plastics and how they are disposed of, to support a more need-based strategy and approach.

Moreover, as a best practice model, Mayor Jimuel  Que shared Bongao’s journey on SWM and how formulating a 10-year SWM plan strategically helped in preparing and building capacities of communities toward implementing environmentally sustainable processes and practices, including the use and deployment of garbage trucks, the development of sanitary landfill, and the conduct of information and education campaigns.

On the part of Maluso, it was not indifferent to the problems associated with SWM. It has kickstarted major steps to demonstrate its seriousness in dealing with the issues and concerns. It has already organized sectoral consultations among market vendors, the business sector,  basura patrollers and other community stakeholders. Information drives through the barangay and youth programs have been done. A materials recovery facility has also been established in each barangay. Even tree and mangrove planting has been promoted.

But the concrete push comes from this partnership initiative of Maluso’s local government with Synergeia and Coca-Cola Foundation to test its wherewithal and commitment to provide more depth and truth to its SWM goals and expose and engage its communities to a new kind of culture that puts being clean and green a topmost priority.

Indeed, Maluso is one braverheart revealed and the real work is just beginning.

Read next: Part 3: Slaying with the Braverhearts and Green Warriors of Maluso

The Final Act: The “Dapat Lang” Phenomenon

The Final ACT: The “ Dapat Lang” Phenomenon

The Proof of Concept (POC) initiative, with the Province of Iloilo as the lead actor in the devolution of basic education to LGUs, hit the ground running in three noble ACTs enabled by Synergeia’s Kickstarter training workshops for the main performers- LSBs, principals and teachers. The core objectives of these workshops are to find out what issues and challenges do we face and what should be done to obtain our bottom line of having all Grade 3 students read during the School Year 2024-2025.

In his remarks at the opening of the workshops, Governor Toto Defensor provoked his education champions and advocates of his expectations about the POC initiative, emphasizing that it is not appropriate to claim as an outstanding achievement the 100% success rate in having all their Grade 3 pupils read.

“Dapat lang”. That was the Governor’s shout-out to all who want to make a big difference in education in Iloilo. It resonated with such clarity as THE normal standard for its reading program and as an ordinary “business as usual” outcome of any intervention.   For the Governor, to have everyone able to read is not a matter of chance or choice. It should be done. Non-negotiable. No compromises. There is a need to formulate higher and better benchmarks for reading and overall literacy.

From a leadership perspective, “Dapat lang” mirrors a strategy to drive change in a more purposive and focused way where the education players are motivated to push their limitations and to gain more confidence to learn and relearn as they become triggered by the seriousness of the reading crisis and its impact on the Province’s and the country’s economic and social transformation.

The POC initiative is a massive deal maker for Iloilo and the rest of the  LGUs should the “Dapat Lang” phenomenon breaks its spell through the mindset and behavior of our local chiefs, the LSBs, the principals and the teachers to remind us that to be extraordinary and exemplary, we all must be doing our jobs really well, helping ourselves and each other, setting the highest standards for ourselves and our students and creating new frontiers for quality learning and education.

ACT 3: Teachers Are Our Heroes 

The Proof of Concept (POC) initiative, with the Province of Iloilo as the lead actor in the devolution of basic education to LGUs, hit the ground running in three noble ACTs enabled by Synergeia’s Kickstarter training workshops for the main performers- LSBs, principals and teachers. The core objectives of these workshops are to find out what issues and challenges we face and what should be done to obtain our bottom line of having all Grade 3 students read during the School Year 2024-2025.

There is this one quote that says, “‘If you have to put someone on a pedestal, it must be a teacher. Our teachers are our heroes in today’s society.”

What is a hero?

By definition, a hero is “a person who demonstrates an utmost commitment to their morals, no matter the obstacle or consequence. Heroes are venerated in stories for possessing extraordinary abilities, such as exceptional strength, intelligence, or fortitude.”

Thirty teachers from Iloilo province gathered in an insighting workshop which probed into their heroism, their struggles, their triumphs and failures in their mission to uplift our children and enable a brighter future through quality education.

In a bold and honest embrace of their challenging circumstances, these teachers pointed out they are battling with many issues like:

a. Innovative teaching  is being stymied by their inability to think outside the box because of mandated structured curriculum and methods;

b. Learning is affected by an unsupportive ecosystem which includes situational factors like poverty, poor health, lack of learning and instructional materials, and weak parental guidance; and

c. Reading is not the core teaching skill of teachers.

With heroism comes specific capacities to overcome adversity and demonstrate passion, excellence and the power to transform the learning and education of our children.

These teachers saw that they need to be HANDA as their strategy map to become more of the heroes that they are:

H- ave improved skills to teach reading in a more creative and engaging way.  The application of Gradual Psychological Unfolding approach which uses story telling  and other creative modes of learning  can be an effective way to encourage reading, participation and engagement. 

A- ddress data and information gaps which can be used as basis for monitoring, assessing and evaluating learning performance issues and interventions like profiling of students/learners, identification of children’s needs and reading levels and localized competency-based assessment tools

N -eed to have skills to teach sounds properly, to write better, and to focus clearly on one learning objective at a time.

D- evelop children’s critical thinking through the proper art of questioning, probing and analyzing.

A- dministrative, organizational and technical support to make teachers do their mission more efficiently and effectively like:

a. Ensuring proper placement or assignment of teachers depending on their core specializations;

b. Enabling teachers to have time to monitor and follow- through students’ progress with less administrative work and reporting or other community projects which consume their time away from teaching;

c. Strengthening a culture which nurture harmonious relationships with co-teachers and team effort by, among others, using the Learning Action Cell (LAC) sessions  for  sharing ideas  and techniques; and

d. Encouraging professional and personal development of teachers.

The heroism of our teachers cannot be truly measured. The only only thing we can remember vividly in our education is that one great teacher who gave us her heart to learn and succeed.