PAGCOR Employees' Christmas Gift-giving Activity

December 21, 2007. Raul and I returned to San Bernabe Elementary School (SBES) – this time with a lot of generous friends from PAGCOR who admirably set aside portions of their daily earnings for this worthy mission.






We had a convoy of about six (6) vehicles which drove through several kms of rough road (free kabuki makeup for the passers-by), but this was way better than mud. We were held up a bit in leaving Laoag City for Sarrat because they closed off the road in front of the city plaza for a celebration.







When we arrived at the SBES, the kids have just wrapped up their Christmas party. Like hands manning a conveyor belt, the PAGCORIANs unloaded the gifts and the snacks with precision. Nobody had to tell them what to do as they are veterans of outreach programs such as this. No one was idle, either – even their children, whom they brought along, helped group the schoolchildren for the games.






I would have wanted to record the kids' cheering and squeals of delight for posterity, but I was manning the sound system (and at the same time I wanted to simply watch them enjoy the games), so I just left the documentation to the others in the party.







After the distribution of prizes, we gave away their snacks of pancit, waffle dogs and hotdogs-on-sticks, and tetrapak juice. There were more than enough for the 69 kids and 50 adults we have prepared for. Their School Principal, Mrs. Dolores Domingo, who also happened to be the wife of our Vice-Mayor in Laoag, invited us into her office for some snacks as well.







The adults and the kids then formed a line to receive their packed goodies plus an additional cash gift from "Santa" Rey, Mrs. Jacobe, and I (we only handed them out, of course – these were pooled donations from all the PAGCORians who participated in the activity).






After a few rushed Canon-izations (it was getting dark and the schoolchildren had to walk home), it was time for us to say our goodbyes and "we'll-be-back's". There were a few snags, however – one of the cars in the convoy wouldn't start and a van broke down a fourth of the way into the trip – but we looked after each other and everyone got home safe and sound.

Thank you to all those who participated and contributed in their own little way for this worthwhile cause.



"In Faith and Hope the world will disagree, but all mankind's concern is Charity." - Alexander Pope, in Essay On Man

MMSU-CTE and GS 2007 Shoebox Project

December 14, 2007. This is the 2nd year of the Shoebox Project and this time around, our beneficiaries were Shamrock Elementary School and A.P. Santos Elementary School, both in Laoag City.



As my adviser Prof. Acuna was able to mobilize the Undergrad students this year, we came up with more than 200 shoeboxes in all – more than enough to distribute to the preschoolers and special students of these two schools.



My "banana pops" lesson plan had also become sort of a yearly tradition, because the kids obviously enjoy decorating the do-it-yourself sweet treats and devouring them afterwards.



I have posted a few photos of the event here, plus a video of the kids opening their gifts. Enjoy!



Special thanks to: MMSU-CTE ECE and SpEd Undergrad Students' Donors*MMSU-GS ECE Students' Donors*Parents of the MMSU Preschoolers*Juvy Nunez*Tibo Enrique*Jun Baguinon*Marc Opinaldo*Romy Gerodias*Tito Arenas*Bong and Mayeth Constantino*Adam Yee*Raymond Manauis*Asyong*Jong*Ross*Claire*Jenna*Roy Cedo*Penny Cabrera*B-Boy Haro*Jess Boloron*Colleen Benavidez*Em Boquiren*Jinnah*

No Birthday Celebration This Year, But...

In lieu of the usual birthday bash, I decided to use my allocated party money for a worthwhile cause instead. Marlon B., one of my classmates at Grad School, teaches at a small elementary school in Sarrat and jumped at the chance of turning my loud thought into a reality while we were having lunch one Saturday.

"Second week of November would be great," he said.

"Would be great for what?" I asked.

"For your gift-giving."

My spoonful of pinakbet froze in mid air. The thought of foregoing the usual videoke-and-beer party just whizzed through my mind, and here he was, clearing a date for it.

And so it was that I went to a nondescript building to gather all the school stuff that I could bring, including a globe, a chess set, and balls for the small kids. I also invited some of my other classmates to join me.

The event was moved 10 days after my birthday and Raul, my husband, was gracious enough to be my driver and kargador. We loaded everything into the van and followed the lead of Elaine and her husband. (I can drive without help from Manila to Laoag, but I need to have a navigator. And that goes for any other destination. Give me ten forks in the road and I'll miss 9 times out of 10.)

We arrived to see a wonderful oasis of a school in the middle of rice fields. It only had two main buildings and about 70 students in all, from the first through the sixth grade. The "campus" was constantly cooled by a fresh gust of wind, and I was immediately taken by the place.

The teachers were used to teaching in multigrade classes (e.g., 2nd graders combined with 3rd graders) but I told them they were still quite fortunate because the students seemed to be well-behaved.

The children prepared a short program for us, after which we played a few parlor games hosted by my friend Marlyn B. She also prepared snacks and drinks from the children (an unexpected and much-appreciated "love gift").



It was past 5 and time to leave that picture-pretty school. We rode our vehicles to once more drive through the dirt roads. Along the way, we passed several schoolchildren hurriedly walking home. They happily waved goodbye as we rode off into the sunset.

I may not have enjoyed singing and drinking with friends, but the hangover from gift-giving feels much better.