#SelflessTeacher in Ilocos Sur waits for hours in a mountain top to access internet, enroll students online amid COVID-19

With the adverse effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, most people consider 2020 as one of the most challenging years of their lives.

It didn’t only defer our desire to travel, to celebrate and conduct various activities but also stopped to move forward with our plans, most especially for students to continue their studies.

With the suspension of classes during the enhanced community quarantine, educators are urged to explore new learning strategies that could be utilized as teaching techniques during the crisis.

Now enters online learning, which requires teachers and students to maximize the use of technology to attend classes.

However, in the situation of COVID-19 health crisis, not all teachers, especially students, have full access to the necessary technologies to be used.

Some schools may be ready for full online learning but most schools are not.

In the coastal town of Narvacan, which is also home to various mountain ranges, a Mathematics teacher at Narvacan National Central High School has gone viral online for helping students to enrol amid struggles to access internet connection.

He is Efren B. Cabotage, a resident of the mountainous Barangay of Cadacad, which is the farthest barangay from the town proper and the boundary between Nagbukel, Ilocos Sur and the province of Abra.

“Ang barangay Cadacad ang pinakamalayong barangay ng Narvacan, mga 45 minutes to one hour ang biyahe ng jeep mula sa Poblacion o sentro ng aming bayan. Boundary ito ng probinsiya ng Abra at bayan ng Nagbukel. Bulubundukin talaga dito,” he said.

He selflessly devoted his time and effort to enrol students online by climbing a mountain top, near his residence because he knows that not all areas have access to internet or even mobile phone signals and some don’t even have gadgets such as mobile phones and laptops to use.

“Mahirap at payak lang din ang aming pamumuhay dito sa amin, Cadacad, Narvacan, Ilocos Sur, kung kayat naranasan ko lahat ng hirap ng pagpunta sa paaralan, pag-access sa internet, kasi mahirap signal dito sa amin. Kayat ganun na lang ang aking pagpupursigi para ma-enroll ko ‘yung mga bata, nang sa gayon ay makatapos din sila sa pag-aaral, at maiangat nila ang kanilang estado ng pamumuhay,” he said.

At first, locating a good site for internet connection was hard for him.

He spends hours to wait for internet connection to enroll the students who filled-up the Learner Enrollment and Survey Forms he initially printed.

“Yung pwesto ko ngayon malapit lang dito sa bahay namin, mga ilang hakbang lang, pero noong una walang signal dito na medyo malakas para maka-access ng internet. Kapag mag-online ako dati, kung saan-saan ako naghahanap ng signal,” he said.

The enrollment of students started on June 1 and so far he has enrolled more than 40 Grade 7 to 10 students from their barangay and other nearby barangays.

“Hindi lang taga-rito sa amin ang ine-enrol ko kundi pati sa kalapit barangay ng Cadacad, Nagbukel at Casilagan, Narvacan,” he said.

He does this for free even if he spends P90.00 a week to load his broadband.

With all the negative effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, he said that this act is his simple way to encourage students to continue their studies.

“They just have to study hard and consider their parents’ sacrifices. They have to do their best to graduate. I’ve been there, on that kind of situation, so I’ll be there, to make that situation lighter”, Mr. Cabotage said in an interview.

“Huwag mawawalan ng pag-asa, kasi nga learning never stops, kahit ano mang pagsubok, anumang sakuna ang dumating, hindi pwedeng matigil ang pag-aaral, matatapos din lahat yan, tiwala lang,” he added.

COVID-19 continues to affect our daily lives but with the help of modern-day heroes, who don’t need anything in return for their good deeds, they inspire us to become stronger to fight the anxiety brought by the virus. (Joyah Mae C. Quimoyog / JCR / AMB / JMCQ / PIA Ilocos Sur)

A version of this article was first published on Philippine Information Agency.