Gensanportal - Mindanao News Blog

By Jun Parada

Cong. Francisco “Lalo” Matugas has called the teachers of Siargao DepEd Division as “heroes” in a speech he delivered before an ecstatic crowd of over 2,000 during the Siargao Educators Congress held inside the municipal compound of Dapa, Surigao Del Norte, on August 28, 2009. He made the remark in recognition of the teachers’ unselfish and heroic contributions in molding their pupils or students as future leaders of this generation.

The first district solon’s declaration was met with thunderous applause from the huge crowd composed of teachers from the public elementary and secondary schools, non-teaching personnel, provincial and municipal officials, government employees, NGOs and private individuals.

Matugas remarked that while the country had its own heroes, Siargao also had its own heroes as personified by the teachers themselves who made a great contribution by giving quality education and skills to Siargaonon students who would become future leaders of this generation. He even stressed that by giving the standard education, the teachers had helped a lot in producing successful graduates who excelled in college and were even successful in their individual lives.

The Siargao lawmaker took cognizance of the importance of the said educators congress saying the same would greatly translate to the development of teachers’ skills for Siargao and Socorro islands. He emphasized that for the past 42 years, many leaders have emerged from Siargao who became politicians, doctors, engineers, church leaders, business leaders and professionals.

He recalled that during his childhood years education was foremost in the minds of many parents in Siargao where majority of them were then dependent on incomes derived from copra production and sales. Despite the economic hardships felt in 1950, parents had worked hard so they could send their children to learning institutions in Cebu and Manila. His parents, who were teachers, were able to send him to schools in Cebu and Manila with the help of the additional income they earned also from copra, he added.

The legislator said he was glad being an educator himself or one of the founders of the Siargao Island Institute of Technology and for being married to Dr. Sol F. Matugas, who was described as one of the leading educators in the country by Sec. Jesli Lapus of the Department of Education (DepEd).

He concluded his speech by urging the public school teachers to remain devoted in their chosen profession to enable the DepEd Siargao Division to earn more recognitions especially in national level competitions particularly in the field of academic performance.

The event was graced by DepEd Secretary Jesli Lapus as Guest of Honor and was also attended by Dr. Sol Matugas, founding director of DepEd Caraga and currently regional director of DepEd Region 8; Dr. Isabelita Borres, current regional director of DepEd Caraga Region; Board Member Cesar Bagundol, Board Member Mar Longos, Mayor Peter Boy Ruaya of Dapa, Mayor Bully Navarro of Del Carmen, Mayor Mamerto Galanida of Socorro, several schools division superintendents and other officials from the different schools divisions in the Caraga region.

Cong. Francisco Matugas’ affinity to education was clearly apparent with his more than a dozen priority bills in the field of education intended for the benefit of his constituency in the first congressional district of Surigao Del Norte wherein three of which had been signed into law by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, namely, R.A. 9638 (establishment of Roxas National High School), R.A. 9639 (establishment of Sta. Fe National High School) and R.A. 9651 (establishment of Siargao National Science High School), it was learned.