“One hundred years from now, it will not matter what job I had, or what kind of car I drove, or how much money was in my bank account, but that I made a difference in a life of a child.” – Unknown
Being able to provide quality education to their children at such a young age is important to the parents of Brgy. Cabano, San Lorenzo, Guimaras.
Parents patiently wait for their children outside Calog-Bubog Day Care Center, knowing that their children are safe in the four corners of the classroom—running around, being able to play with their classmates, and learning essential values that they can bring with them throughout their life.
This was not the case two years ago when the day care center was still inaccessible and dangerous for the children’s well-being.
The Pressing Situation Before
Rolinda Ganancial, a mother, shared her hesitations about sending her four-year old child to school before. “Budlay gid sa amon nga day care center kay cyclone wire man lang to ang iya dingding kon mag ulan ga sulod ang ambi kag ga baha sa sulod. Tapos kay medyo talakladon ang amon nga center, ang mga bata ga karadanlog kag gakapilasan kay grabe ang lutak pasaka. Amo na sang nag parent teacher meeting kami, gn estoryahan na namon nga kung mag ulan indi na lang kami mag klase (It was very difficult for us before since the walls of the day care center were only made of cyclone wire, whenever it would rain the water would go inside and it would flood. We had to trudge up a slope to get to the center. The children would slip and get hurt because the path is very muddy. That’s why when we had the parent-teacher meeting, we agreed that classes would be cancelled whenever it rains).”
Ganancial remembered that parents would usually complained to the barangay officials about the condition that their children had to go through day by day. It was not easy for them since their day care center was only a makeshift room that was not safe for their kids.
She added rain water would go inside the room causing it to flood. Furthermore, the trek towards the classroom was also dangerous since the students had to take off their shoes and walk in the muddy terrain with their slippers on and eventually slipped and get injured.
Gildo Diaz, barangay kagawad, said that it was difficult for the barangay local government unit (LGU) to address this problem because of the meager allocation they had for the construction of a day care center. With the barangay having to prioritize several other projects, the parents and the children of Calog-Bubog Day Care Center had only to dream of a better and more accessible room for themselves.
He eagerly talked about how the barangay wanted to fix the problem. But this would entail a large sum of money and support from the Municipal LGU.
The whole community wanted to move the location of the day care center to a nearby site and they proposed the area just a few meters away from San Lorenzo Municipal Hall. The proposed area was perfect since the building is located at the side of a paved road. The children would have no trouble getting to the center.
“Sang una didto sa Sitio Bubog, nabudlayan to ang mga bata kay pataklad to sang una ang ila na day care center. Budlay to kon ga ulan kay ga lubog ang ila tiil kay grabe ang lunang. Tapos malayo to ang dati nga center, kailangan nila magsakay motor ukon tricycle pakadto sa ubos sang center. Kon magsakay sila sa motor 30 minutes pa ila nga sakay (When the day care center was still situated in Sitio Bubog, the children had a hard time trudging upwards. It was difficult for them when it rained because their feet would get stuck in the mud. The old site was also very far, they had to take a motor or tricycle ride to get to the center. The ride would usually take 30-minutes),” said Diaz.
A Glimmer of Hope
2016 was the year to spark a change for Brgy. Cabano. The barangay LGU together with the residents finally got into a consensus through a barangay assembly that they needed to prioritize the construction of a day care center for their children.
Through the support of the Municipal LGU and Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS) National Community Driven-Development (NCDDP), the community finally found a glimmer of hope.
The community through a barangay assembly chose Salvacion Gacita to become the Barangay Sub-Project Management Committee chairperson to facilitate the implementation of the prioritized sub-project.
“Nakibot gid ako sang ako ang napili-an sang mga pumuluyo sang Cabano nga mangin BSPMC. Pero, wala gid ako nagduwa-duwa sa pag-accept sang hinatag sa akon nga responsibilidad (I was surprised when residents of Cabano chose me to be their BSPMC chairperson. But, I did not hesitate in accepting the responsibility that they have entrusted upon me),” said Gacita.
On June 27, 2016, implementation started. A grant of P788,500 was given for the actualization of this project.
Gacita shared that they employed 10 locals for the construction of the project. Day and night, rain or shine, these individuals worked tirelessly to provide a better center for the children of Cabano.
Gacita stated that the barangay all worked hand-in-hand to provide what was lacking for the construction of this day care center. Some of the households would offer snacks or food to the workers. Parents provided the necessary décor for the classroom to make it more appealing to the children. The whole community, together with the Municipal LGU all showed their unending support to the cause.
“Wala man kami nabudlayan sa pag-implementasyon kay nakita ko gid ang pag-uyon sang mga tawo para lang mapatigayon ini nga proyekto (We didn’t have a hard time with the implementation since I saw how all the people offered their help just so that we can have this project),” she said.
A Brighter Future
On December 27, 2016, the day care center became fully-functional.
Day care worker Bebian Galleto shared her joy after they transferred to the new room provided to them. She has been working as day care teacher for Calog-Bubog Day Care Center for 10 years.
“Mas hapos na subong kay ginbutang na sila sa dalom sang munisipyo. Te ini ya 10 minutes na lang ang ila nga travel sa motor ukon tricycle. Tapos tungod nga ginbutang siya sa kilid sa dalan, mas hapos na sa mga bata mag sulod. Pwede na ni gani lakton sang iban na pumuluyo kay lapit na lang gid siya. Subong mag-ulan man, gapadayon lang kami gihapon sa pagklase
(It is easier for us now that we are located at the base of the hill where the municipal hall is situated. Here we can travel by motorcycle or tricycle for only 10 minutes because we are located at the side of the road, it is much easier for the children to go to class. They can even walk to school now, since it is near their homes. Now even when it rains, classes can go on),” she said.
This is the first time in 10 years, that day care worker Galleto has felt secured and hopeful for her 35 students. Now they are able to go to school without the fear of the rain and the mud. The children can easily run around, and express themselves freely because now they can finally call their day care center their new home.
With the community’s eagerness to provide a day care center for the children of Cabano, they have not only provided a safe space for these kids, but the hope of a brighter future ahead of them.#