January-June 2010
July - December 2009
January - June 2009
July - December 2008
- ETV receives Award of Excellence in Asian CSR Awards
- E-Media Program’s BYA is finalist in Turquoise Award
- More doves for the E-Media Program
- ETV wins in the Philippine Quill Awards
- Climbing the Hill with Educational TV
- PetroEnergy, MCL, and AFI partner for teaching excellence
- S4S reaches Northern Samar
- Med schools shout “game!” to help
Top Stories
RODERICK'S JOURNEY
By: Suzette Catalla
Roderick looks frail, too short for a boy of nine, and extremely bashful as he gazes blankly at his teacher, trying his best to understand the lesson for the day. After walking for almost an hour on slippery mud paths and makeshift bridges in Sitio Tanglagan, Calanasan, Apayao, he is exhausted upon reaching his school where he is presently a first grader. He had little for breakfast—four teaspoons of rice sprinkled with salt and a quarter cup of pale coffee. Clutching his tattered backpack that contains an arithmetic workbook that he has to share with four other classmates, his eyes suddenly lit up. The teacher just asked the school coordinator to attach an old TV set and VHS machine to a small generator. It was time to learn basic math with the aid of an educational video.
Roderick, like most students in Calanasan, is older than the required school age. Aside from poverty, most parents postpone their children’s education until they are ready to take the daily punishment of walking kilometers each way to school and home, trekking mountains and crossing rivers on a half-empty stomach. Believing that education is their ticket out of poverty, the children persevere, as if each step meant being closer to a better future.
Saddened by the plight of the children, the Department of Education’s TEEP (Third Elementary Education Project) partnered with the ABS-CBN Foundation in 2001 to implement Educational Television (ETV) in Apayao. Two days each week, children are given access to episodes of Sine’skwela, Mathtinik, Epol/Apple, Bayani and Hirayamanawari. The video tapes were donated with a 21-inch TV set and a VHS player. It is powered by a small generator from the baranggay. Fortunately, Apayao’s cool climate preserved the VHS tapes well; they are still in good condition despite heavy usage. Parents voluntarily contribute one peso per viewing to pay for the generator’s fuel, such a small price for motivating their children to regularly attend school, rain or shine. Even almost a decade later, students continue to demonstrate the impact of the project—lively class discussions, low dropout rates and high achievement test results.
Proud parents
Trying to hold back his tears, farmer Mang Rudy, beams with pride as he learned that Roderick earned Second Honor and Best Attendance in school. Having finished only the second grade, he dreams of his son becoming a mechanic. His wife Aling Julita, elated by his son’s achievement, gives Roderick a loving pat on the head. Unmindful of his parents, Roderick continues to review his lessons by the flickering gasera, a routine he does every night.
Part of the solution
There is much to be desired in the public education system. The shortage of books, classrooms and teachers has been a concern for decades. Worsened by poverty and the remoteness of schools in the rural areas, the future of many Rodericks hangs in a balance. Recognizing the power and reach of media, the ABS-CBN Foundation has long decided to be a part of the solution through ETV. Since 1994 it devoted its resources and influence in bringing together various sectors to help provide educational materials in schools through the distribution of ETV Packages (TV set, DVD players and ETV programs on video). It has produced a total of ten ETV shows which are being used as references as the programs on academic subjects like science and math are based on the curriculum of the Department of Education. To strengthen the implementation of media-based instruction, it has trained thousands of teachers from the different regions. ETV serves as a beam of hope for schools with very little access to information, technology and educational opportunities.
Today, ETV is present in more than 8,000 schools, yet more than 25,000 await help. The appeal for benefactors continues for the E-Media Program of the ABS-CBN Foundation.
The journey
The journey back to Calanasan made us feel a myriad of emotions. While we were overwhelmed by the positive impact the project has ten years since its first implementation, it brought the realization that there are public schools, thousands of them, that look at NGOs or private individual donors as their only chance of ever getting access to quality educational materials. Sadly, for sitios as remote as Tanglagan, help does come once in a decade. And as we feel the relief that our own children need not walk hours to attend their classes, we remember and feel sorry for all the Rodericks who will brave overflowing rivers or risk sliding in ravines just to make it to school in the next five years. It is up to us to make the journey worth it.
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E-Media Donor Relations Specialist Suzette Catalla together with AFI Ace cameraman Gerry Constatino and driver Jaime Solis traveled 20 hours to Calanasan, Apayao to document ETV implementation in the area. From Claveria, Cagayan where paved highway ends, they traversed 80 kilometers of steep, rocky, and muddy terrain to reach Tanglagan Elementary School. For inquiries on how you can help ABS-CBN Foundation’s E-Media Program, call 415-6296, email adopt@abs-cbn.com or visit website: http://www.abs-cbnfoundation.com/e-media.
ON THE ROAD TO BETTER LEARNING
February 11 seemed to be an extraordinary day for these grade school students of Tagapo Elementary School in Sta. Rosa City in Laguna as they were joined by Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI) president and general manager Hiroshi Shimizu in their classroom. Through ABS-CBN Foundation, Inc.’s E-Media Program, Tagapo Elementary School and Labas Elementary School are now on the road to better learning with the gift of educational television (ETV) materials from HCPI.
The ETV package consists of 460 episodes of educational television programs in DVD format, a 29" colored TV, and a DVD player. "Through the use of these materials, students’ knowledge in Science, Math, and other subjects are expected to improve," shared Shimizu during the turnover ceremony. On the other hand, Labas ES principal Jose Armando Garcia acknowledged, "sabi sa isang patalastas, paano iguguhit ang bukas kung walang lapis at krayola, pero ngayon narito sa ating harapan hindi lamang magguguhit ng kinabukasan, sa halip ay magbibigay kulay sa mga ito."
As part of HCPI’s corporate social responsibility, the company hopes to drive more public elementary schools in Sta. Rosa City to excellence through ETV.