Water Must Be Accessible to All School!

By: Jan Irvin D. Kis-ing

Teacher I

Colalo Elementary School

Mankayan, Benguet – Din danum et Biyag, siya di katagoan ya managtago endatako. (Water is Life, for it nurtures us by making us healthy and supports our livelihood) This dictum is always found on Cordilleran chants and stories. It outlines how the Cordilleran survived for centuries in these majestic mountains.

 Colalo Elementary School resonate this Cordilleran Aphorism by establishing its water management program that implemented Php 133,838.00 for ensuring a continuous supply of water that was successfully completed last January 12, 2016. The amount is used in the purchase of six (6) kilometers of hosepipe and labor.

 The fund is a part of the gain of the Search for Little Mr. and Miss Colalo 2015. 

As most Cordilleran community, Brgy Colalo gets its household and agricultural water supply in creeks and rivers.  As pristine as it get  or as polluted as it is, this water sources keeps the agricultural industry growing and evolving, but it also supplies the growing household and other industries resulting to depletion of water supply. On situations like this, schools are left behind with less than a drop of water.

A school with scarce water supply is faced with many challenges like health, hygiene and sanitation issues, non-implementation of Dep.Ed programs like the promotion of oral health and hand washing, gulayan sa paaralan, school re-greening activities, among others. Water shortage in the school also hampers academic undertakings such as cooking, gardening, and experimenting.

At the moment, the school is producing fresh and organic vegetables and establishes a fruit tree nursery that will be used for tree planting activities during rainy season. Learners can now enjoy their EPP activities like cooking and food processing and science experiments. Further, the clean comfort rooms and the vivid implementation of the hand-washing and tooth brushing activities draws attention from health workers. The school water supply supplements the depleted Brgy water source by sharing its overflow to the community.  All of this is due to the steady supply of water in the school without thinking of the water bill. 

***END***

Jan Irvin has been teaching at Colalo Elementary School and has worked a lot in developing the school's library through his initiative they are able to build a library from a scratch. The Project Mountain Alphabet has helped them in some ways in support to a teachers initiative to make his school better and to have a better learning experience of his student..

Here's the story.

It all Started with a Giraffe.

Building a Library From the Kindness of Strangers

My Fair Share of Descrimination

There are millions in the planet who are in many way descriminated in any forms. Some got fired because they are transexual, others because of their origin, race, culture and a lot more. I too had a fair share of being descriminated in the work place.

So here's the story: I applied in one of the BPO company here at Cavite. I went on with the process from examination to final interview. Everything went well. Knowing that I have Rheumatic Heart Disease I disclose it awaiting for them to tell me to get a doctors clearance or a fit to work in case i get hired.

I learned on that same day that I made it and I was so happy as it was already my third month of being unemployed. The lady who is assisting me and was very helpful gave me a ton of list of all the documents that I need to provide.

In the days after nearing my training date, I went back and I learned that she wasnt there and that I have to wait for the other 2 guys to help me with my concern. I waited for more than 3 hours in the waiting area. Then finally, the lady who has been helping me came and got my papers and told me that I have one full month to furnish the rest.

I already spent my money furnishing the documents needed, but again I am still happy because at last I am going to start working again and I will start from the bottom and planned to climb up the ladder.

Then the dreaded day came, 26 hours before my supposed first day of training I recieved a text message coming from the recruiters team. I am already expecting it I told myself they may be wanting me to get a doctors fit to work since I have this Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD). So I went to meet them.

I was endorsed to the clinic and I told the doctor there that I have RHD and I declared it. I also told the doctor that during my physical/medical exam I also declared it. So the doctor said she will endorse me to HR for the final decision.

An HR personnel asked me and handed me a TERMINATION PAPER stating that I violated their rule and that I am a risk to the company and to the employee. So in my defense I told the HR personnel that I had been working graveyard for the past 10 years and I havent encountered any problem at all. I told her that I can get a fit to work from my cardiologist as well if it is necessary.

She went out the room and then after few minutes she came and told me that they are not pushing through my application since they cant hire me because I AM SICK. She also told me they have even an instance where a normal person, who is not sick, just collapsed and died.

I am disheartened. I am also concern because this is discrimination in the work place. There is no equality. So I said my Thank You's for accomodating me shake her hand and left the office with a heavy heart. In my mind does this mean that we are not allowed to work in this company because simply we are sick?

Though I am disheartened by the turn of events. Though I pity those people who are willing to work for this company even though they recieve a little less compared to working in Metro Manila. I just realized that this is not the culture of the company I want to work with. I am for equality and I am for fairness. I am sharing my experience because I wanted to let everyone know that being treated unequal is a blessing from God. When you knock into someones house and they closed their door to you it simply means you have to leave. Say a little prayer so that God will touch their heart before you finally take your first step.

It is what it is. We are living in the world full of injustice and biasness. But if we stick on the Golden Rule to Love Everyone including your enemy can make a difference in making this world a better place to breath in.

Love Wins no matter what. My experience has thought me to be more humble despite being under fire. Despite circumstances we still should stand and pick up where we have left and move forward. I encourage everyone who was descriminated to stand up and pray those who descriminated you so that God will touch their lives and their hearts to be more compasionate. People who are sick should also be given the equal opportunity to work. The opportunity for them to earn something so that they can buy their medicine and help feed their family as well. Above all, I encourage everyone who are mistreated to humble down and be more forgiving. This is what this whole situation has thought me.

Be Awesome, March

In general, February is an awesome month. I have done so many things personally and spiritualy. I have out grown my childish spiritual battle and had a beautiful and awesome in my One2One journey. I have learned a lot making me I suppose a better person from yesterday.

Here comes my friend MARCH and I am excited to spend the whole month trying to figure out what more could I do to become a better person. What more could I submit to the Lord, my Savior and Creator not only to become a better Christian but also to become a better person in general.

Just a few days ago, I woke up suddenly feeling empty, feeling sorry about the things I don't even know, I felt emptiness and definitely I felt the worst feeling. All I wanted was to sleep and sleep and sleep. I never did anything in the morning but simply to just sleep.

In the afternoon just after lunch, I checked my phone and decided to send an sms message to Rojohn my church leader who is conducting my One2One. He sent me a message of encouragement together with a bible verse which reads: "11 For I know what I have planned for you,' says the Lord. 'I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope. 12 When you call out to me and come to me in prayer, I will hear your prayers. 13 When you seek me in prayer and worship, you will find me available to you. If you seek me with all your heart and soul. Jeremiah 29:11-13" 

As I am pondering on the message I recieved from Rojohn my messenger pop up and a friend from Italy sent me a message aside from greeting me a good morning he also sent me a bible verse: "Instead of living in the shadows of yesterday, walk in the light of today and the hope of tomorrow. Phippians 3:13-14 forgetting those things which are behind.... I press toward the goal. Morning"

As I was reading these message and trying to grasp the message and internalize it I suddenly doze off to sleep. I had this feeling that started Janaury of last year. I felt so bad and so empty that I dont know where it is coming from. I ask myself, am again geering towards mild depression. I flashed back from what have I done for the past week, then I realized I rarely eat, I rarely go out of the house, I always shutoff my house so people cant see me, I practically did not nothing and I didnt even notice it.

Whatever this is I told myself, it should stop, so the next morning, I dressed up and went running. As I was running, I remembered I might be in a spiritual battle. I maybe am being tested how far I could go with my spiritual devotion. I maybe am being placed in a situation wherein my spiritual quest will be tested deliberately. After realizing all these I stopped in the middle of the road and prayed and ask God for guidance.

After jogging, I finally got home ate my breakfast and visited my garden. I felt better that morning. Then I remembered, it is Thursday and it is the first Thursday of the month which means its Worship Night at 7:00 PM. I checked my wallet and found out that I only have Php30.00 left. I felt bad because I cant go to church. I felt bad because I cant celebrate and worship God with my churchmates. So I just continued watering my plant and weeding out.

Out of nowhere my best buddy at my previous employer sent me a message asking me to send her a message too. So which I did. After a few exchanges later that noon, she said that she has sent me a Php1000.

I am supper thankful because I thought I cant go to the worship night and I didnt event mention her that I only have Php30 in my wallet.

I am so thankful, because despite all the things going around, I have friends who share their food to me, I have friends who cheers me up when I am down, I have friends who truly understand me. I am Thankful because God is blessing me in so many ways despite the fact that I am a sinner and I have God who has loved me even though some despise me and consider me arrogant without knowing me.

Now, I know I am in a spiritual battle. Now I know it is clear that I am being tested and rediculed by the devil to not hold on to God's promise. Despite all these, I know I am holding on to my Faith that Jesus Christ is walking with me as I go through all the hurdles of life.