BAYANIHAN: VOLUNTEERISM NOT TOURNEY FEAT
Author is Teacher Fernando CATHERINE L. DELA CRUZ
“Dito sa bayan ni Juan, May isang kaugalian, Isang daing sa kapitbahay, Buong bayan dumaramay...” And the lines define Filipino Bayanihan in the song ‘Sa Bayan ni Juan’ by Mike Hanopol, a Filipino rock singer.
This spirit of communal unity and cooperation was exemplified anew in the Brigada Eskwela, a National School Maintenance Week initiated by the Department of Education (DepEd) in August 2023. Long before the Brigada Eskwela (BE) was launched, some students refuse to go to school on first day of classes. This is because they knew they would be doing general cleaning in their classrooms.
The bayanihan culture is innate that support in many ways from different community organizations, the parents, the local government and departments come spontaneously both in physical labor and donations in kind and cash. Consequently, public schools are ready two weeks before the first day of classes.
However, the concept of holding BE to a contest tended for teachers to a double or divided focus. Schools were categorized as small schools, medium schools, large schools, and mega schools for both elementary and secondary levels. Since everyone is doing his/her part, who would not want for his/her school to be be awarded Brigada Eskwela Best Implementer? Thus, teachers go soliciting for support to exceed what was used to be imminent, unaware the pride of the school is put at stake. After all the joint efforts, winning is uncertain. This has lost the essence or diwa ng bayanihan. Like what our BE Coordinator said: “The main concept of bayanihan for a sustainable partnership for school improvement is being set-aside.”
This coming July 22 to 27, the nation will be witnessing again the spirit of bayanihan among the education stakeholders, local government units, volunteers, and others in a weeklong National School Maintenance for the opening of School Year 2024-2025, July 29. DepEd had stopped the contest in the BE 2023. Seemingly, Brigada Eskwela 2024 will not be a contest.
-OOoThe author is Teacher III Sto. Rosario National High School - Minalin