BONTOC, Mountain Province – Bontoc Mayor Franklin Odsey emphasized the crucial role, commitment, and dedication of teachers in the delivery of education to young Filipinos amidst the global pandemic during the Bontoc District Teachers Day Celebration (Mid-Year Awards and Send-off Program) on September 24, 2020, at the Bontoc Central School (BCS) grounds.
Unlike in the previous years of celebrating the Bontoc District Teachers Day, the celebration for this year has scaled-down with a simple fellowship and a limited number of participants in compliance with the minimum health protocols due to the threat of the Coronavirus disease -2019 (COVID-19).
Bontoc Mayor Franklin Odsey in his inspirational talk remarked that with the global pandemic, the importance of teachers is finally realized because of distance learning and modules.
“Parents now feel the hard work and sacrifices of the teachers in educating the children and the youth. I hope that by getting to experience even a small fraction of your work, parents and the whole community would come to a better understanding and appreciation of teachers’ sacrifices and hard work,” the mayor said.
With this, Odsey solicited the support of the community to the schools and the teachers, adding that families have to play a more active role in the education of the children.
He assured the continuous assistance of the Bontoc LGU to the education sector. He added that even with limited resources, the Bontoc LGU ensures that the budgets for the various programs relating to education increase every year, if not, are sustained. This is anchored on his administration’s vision “Bontoc on the Rise” which encompasses the five major programs to include Youth Development through education, sports, and the arts.
The mayor acknowledged the sacrifices of the teachers in the production of modules of the students. Thus, he committed that the Bontoc LGU will try to allot funds for the purchase of Duplo machines and other printing machines, as well as bond papers to augment the resources of teachers in the production of modules.
Focusing on the theme for this year’s Teachers Day Celebration, “Gurong Filipino Para Sa Batang Filipino”, Odsey underscored that a Gurong Filipino is one who develops learning autonomy in a child and instills good citizenship.
According to the mayor, the teachers do not only teach the student reading, writing, and arithmetic, because a teacher’s ultimate goal is to impart to the students the love of learning. Aside from this, a Gurong Filipino instills good citizenship. According to him, good citizenship is having a deep love for community and country. It is having all the good values of the community such as the Ogogfu (Bayanihan) the Ifontok Way. The mayor believed that this can be instilled in every Batang Filipino if we practice it first in ourselves.
Meanwhile, Public Schools District Supervisor (PSDS) – Bontoc District Amelia Wacangan extended the gratitude of DepEd to the Bontoc LGU for its unending assistance and support to the education sector.
She made mention of the promise of Mayor Odsey in the last year’s celebration of the Bontoc District Teachers Day which he has fulfilled.
This is the institutionalization of the annual Bontoc District Teachers Day Celebration and allotment of a separate budget for this purpose. Wacangan added that for this year, the Bontoc LGU has doubled the amount from P30, 000 to P60, 000 purposely for the celebration.
On the same day, Bontoc recognized and awarded the schools, and the teaching and non-teaching personnel of the Department of Education (DepEd) – Bontoc District for their exemplary performance.
The cash prizes that were given to the awardees came from the P60, 000 budget allocated by the municipal government for this year’s Bontoc District Teachers Day Celebration.
Odsey made mention that the cash prizes received by the awardees are but a simple token of gratitude and appreciation of the Bontoc Local Government Unit (LGU) for all the hard work of the teachers.
“The real prize is the deep fulfilment that each one of you feels every time you have a done job,” the mayor said.
Also, a Send-off Program on the retirement of PSDS Agustina Paspas was held on the same day.
Presidential Proclamation No. 242 declares September 5 to October 5 of every year as National Teachers Month and Republic Act 10743 declares the 5th day of October of every year as the National Teachers Day and the designation of the World Teachers Day every 5th of October by the United Nations Education and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). // Alpine L. Killa, Bontoc LGU
PHOTO CAPTION: As a gesture of gratitude for continuous support and assistance to the education sector, the Department of Education (DepEd) – Mountain Province thru Public Schools District Supervisor (PSDS) – Bontoc District Amelia Wacangan hands over a Certificate of Appreciation to the Bontoc LGU and a separate Certificate of Appreciation to Bontoc Mayor Franklin Odsey during the Bontoc District Teacher Day Celebration on September 25, 2020. // Alpine L. Killa
