By Nanette L. Guadalquiver
BACOLOD CITY, Oct 3 (PNA) — Davaoeño teacher Randy Halasan, a 2014 Ramon Magsaysay awardee, was the keynote speaker during the Student-Teachers’ Forum Thursday hosted by University of St. La Salle (USLS) here as part of the National Teachers’ Month celebration.
“Walang yumayaman sa pagiging guro, pero tayo ay yumayaman sa pagpapasaya ng kabataan,” Halasan said.
Halasan, who is teaching the Matigsalug Tribe, started as one of the only two teachers of two in-house classrooms for Grades 1 to 6 in Pegalongan Elementary School in Barangay Malamba, Davao City in 2007.
Today, he is the head teacher of seven teachers occupying nine classrooms, including a community high school.
“If your goal is educating children, all your hardships in getting to the school will really pay off,” he said.
It takes seven hours to travel from his home in the city to Sitio Pegalongan — two hours by bus, an hour over extremely rough roads by habal-habal motorcycle, four hours of trekking through mountains and valleys, and crossing the waters of two treacherous rivers.
He advised student-teachers to be optimistic.
“If we are not optimistic, walang mangyayari sa ating bansa,” he added.“In your young age, I know you can do better.”
Aside from his contributions to the education of the Matigsalug youth, Halasan also led the Pegalongan Farmers Association into investing in a rice and corn mill, a seed bank, and cattle dispersal project.
The forum was attended by the student-teachers and administrators form USLS-College of Education, Colegio San Agustin-Bacolod, University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos, Central Philippine State University, Philippine Normal University, La Carlota City College, and Central Philippine Adventist College.(PNA)