Congratulations Mrs. Lourdes Lauderes - Matan

(This column appears in today's edition of the Leyte-Samar Daily Express)

Hi there! It’s another weekend, a sweldo weekend at that. First things first. Congratulations to Mrs. Lourdes Lauderes – Matan. She made it as one of the 10 winners in the Metrobank Foundation’s Search for Outstanding Teachers 2009.

As one of the youngest awardees in this year’s roster (34 yrs. old), Mrs. Matan was instrumental in her school’s being able to offer a complete elementary education program from grades 1 through sixth by implementing multi-grade classrooms where she taught two or more grades simultaneously. And while this setting presented a number of challenges such as lack of teaching and learning materials, Mrs. Matan was undaunted and instead developed workbooks for the different subjects she was handling. Consequently, these instructional materials were adopted by schools in Calbayog City. Outside the classroom, Mrs. Matan is active in community work, crusading against forced and early marriages, which are still being practiced in some remote areas in the province where minors, some as young as 13, are being married off to older men in exchange for some goods and small amount of money (i.e. a sack of rice, a pig, and P3,000). By educating the young girls on their rights and their parents on the harmful effects of early marriages on their daughters and convincing them to keep the latter in school, Mrs. Matan was able to prevent forced and early marriages in neighboring barangays. Mrs. Matan also serves as a member of the Lupong Tagapamayapa – a group engaged in settling disputes at the barangay level – in her barangay, an affirmation of the teachers’ status in the community.

Mrs. Matan specializes in Filipino and is assigned at the Mag-Ubay Elementary School in Oquendo District, Calbayog City. Now on her 13th year in the teaching profession, she holds the position as Elementary Grade Teacher III.

Last year, during the 60th Calbayog Charter Day celebration, Ms. Matan was cited as one of the Ten Outstanding Calbayognons (in the field of education).

The Metrobank Foundation is the corporate social responsibility arm of the Metrobank Group of Companies chaired by Dr. George S.K. Ty. Over the last 30 years, it has promoted a culture of excellence among Filipinos through its various programs notably the Search for Outstanding Teachers, the Metrobank Art and Design Excellence, The Outstanding Philippine Soldier, Country’s Outstanding Policemen in Service, the Metrobank Math Challenge, and College Scholarship Program. The Foundation also has a grants program that assists NGOs and government in the fields of education, healthcare, and the arts. Metrobank Foundation celebrates Filipino excellence and presents wellsprings of hope in the future of our nation.

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So, what’s up for today? Please don’t ask me to comment on the 20-thousand dollar dinner of PGMA’s entourage. Oops, make it $35,000.00 to include the latest Washington Post feature. It’s not that I like the idea about our officials spending too much for a fancy dinner, but I think I agree with what Chito Beltran wrote in his column last Wednesday. The simplistic in me summed it up as something which says, “Look who’s talking.”


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Talking about talks or talking (Ano ba yan? Redundant!). Early this week, the city was rife with talks (okey, rumors) about a local priest, err, some priests. Word has it that something went not-so-right (okey let use the word wrong) during a meeting of the clergy in our locality. Details in my next column.

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During a recent feast day celebration in Calbayog, my bubuwits (aka sources) told me that the homilist mentioned something about the clergy being here to serve and not to be served. And that they are also human, ergo they are not perfect, and thus to the local faithful was said this line: “please bear with us” and “please pray for us”.

Indeed, some clergy members are human. They can commit mistakes. They are human, so they tend to forget that they are here to serve and not to be served. So, does that explain why a clergy member just can’t say yes to a parishioner who went out of her way to request (or beg?) for a discounted rate of 500 pesos for a funeral mass because her family can’t afford the 1,000 pesos being charged by the parish?

Yes, they too are human, so we have to excuse them when one them says such words as pasasakit, napo-o and gaba in his homily when referring to some parishioners whom they have locked horns with or those whom he perceives do not like him.

Yes, they are imperfect, let us bear it when one of them says, “I don’t care” when asked about calling for an assembly to explain or make clear to the people some changes in the policies and fees of the parish.

Yes, they too are human, they forgot to put provisions for the indigent parishioners in the arancel of stole fees posted in the parish bulletin boards.

And as requested by the homlist, I do pray for the clergy. But forgive me, not for all of them.

And yes, by the way, these words about them being human and imperfect came or were heard at the same time when … (see the preceding paragraph).

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Local news. The Calbayog City Sports Center (aka the Gymn) is being rushed in time for the Fiesta activities. As of the moment, opening day is set on September 1. Among the activities slated are the concerts of MYMP and Noel Cabangon.

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Concert. The CKC – Jose Gomez Orchestra will have a post-fiesta Concert in Calbayog City. This will be held on September 9, 2009 at the Frs. David and Leopold Auditorium in Christ the King College

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Have a nice weekend everyone! Ciao!