By Nikka Garriga
TUBUNGAN, ILOILO— Concepcion Tababa travels almost 23 kilometers by foot everyday to get to the farthest barangays of this town.
While the long hours of walking may prove to be a challenge, this doesn’t stop her from accomplishing her goal: to bring education to remote, conflict-torn areas in the province.
Teacher Concepcion established the Barangay Aid on Literacy (BAOL) mobile library to show that the service of education is not limited in the classroom setting.
This is why she travels to far-flung villages with no access to learning. And she even reaches out to rebels to convince them to resume with their studies.
Her efforts to fight literacy and bring peace through education have cited Teacher Concepcion and three others as this year’s Happiest Pinoys.
The annual Search for the Happiest Pinoy centers on recognizing Filipinos who remain optimistic and resilient Filipinos in the country amidst life’s challenges.
In keeping with her advocacy, Connie Emborong performs her duties as a teacher and peace worker always with a smile on her face.
She has been named one of the editors of the newly-developed Peace Education exemplars, which will be used to teach Peace Education and Children’s Rights among schoolchildren in Lanao del Norte.
John Gabriel, on the other hand, managed to graduate Summa Cum Laude with a degree Mathematics and proved that poverty is no excuse to excel in life.
What’s more, he created a record at the University of the Philippines in Diliman for acquiring the second highest general weighted average in the school’s history.
He chose to work as an instructor at the Institute of Mathematics as means of giving back despite enticing offers from multinational companies.
Meanwhile, public school teacher Marcelo Otinguey is recognized for his determination to provide books and other educational materials for various schools and communities in Kapangan, Benguet.
He continually explored ways and initiated advocacies in health, education, environment, safety as well as livelihood training to students, out of school youths and stay-at-home mothers.
Education chief Armin Luistro commended these Filipino teachers for their resourcefulness and dedication for their chosen profession.
“The search brings home the point that happiness can be found while in the service of others. We note that the winners derive their positive outlook from serving the needs of other people,” he added.
For more information on this year’s winners, please visit theHappiest Pinoywebsite.
(Photos courtesy of DepEd Communications Group)
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