Department of Education - Davao City Division

Joanna Paula M. Cagape

Every October, the World honors the educators who have tirelessly shed out all their graces to ensure the welfare and the success of all the learners.

As stated in the DepEd order No. 130s of 2018, “The Department of Education” (DepEd) in coordination with the National Teacher’s Day Coordinating Council (NTDCC) and the National Teacher’s Month Coordinating Council (NTMCC), will celebrate the National Teacher’s Month (NTM) from September 5 to October 5, 2018 with the October 5, 2018 being observed as the National Teacher’s Day (NTD).”The National Teacher’s Day Celebration shall have been commemorated every fifth of October, as stipulated in the Republic Act (RA) 10743.

The Department of Education Davao City Division has initiated the beginning of the National Teacher’s Month Celebration. Last September 5, 2018, The Holy Mass is celebrated on the first day of the launching of the World Teachers Day inside the DepEd Schools Division Office-Conference Room. Fr. Russel Bantiles officiated the Most Holy Mass. The DepEd Davao City Division Personnel, the School Heads, and the Schools Division Superintendent (SDS) Dr. Maria Ines C. Asuncion CESO V attended the thanksgiving Mass.

All of the teachers from elementary to secondary were enjoined to attend the culmination program of the World Teacher’s Day last October 5, 2018 at the Davao City National High School Multi-purpose Hall. There was a short program in the morning. The hall was graced by the presence by the Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio. The Schools Division Superintendent (SDS) of the DepEd Davao City Division Dr. Maria Ines C. Asuncion CESO V, the Assistant Schools Division Superintendents Emma Camporedondo CESE and Dr. Basilio Mana-ay CESE, the Public Schools District Supervisors, the School Principals, and the teachers from elementary to highschool gathered for the event. alt

Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio together with the Schools Division Superintendent of Davao City, Dr. Maria Ines C. Asuncion CESO V, the Assistant Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Emma Camporedondo CESE, and the elementary and highschool teachers from the three congressional districts in Davao City graced up the World Teacher’s Day Celebration 2018.

Orange was the hue of the hour. The DepEd personnel wore their respective official orange shirts for the entire duration of the celebration. The traditional rites of singing the national anthem signaled the beginning of the ceremonies. The DepEd community placed their hands on their left chests and sang the Philippine National Anthem, “Lupang Hinirang” in unison. A grade 10 student from the Davao City National High School lead the National Prayer for Teachers, soon afterwards. The communal prayer was a way to praise and thank God, and to ask for His Wisdom, Guidance, and Strength to come upon all teachers, as Gifts, as Graces.

“Behind every Filipino is a great teacher,” SDS Asuncion said during her welcome remarks. True, teaching, as society collectively call it, is the mother of all professions—doctors will not be doctors, lawyers will not be lawyers, nurses will not be nurses, engineers will not be engineers, architects will not be architects, employers will not be employers, all workers will never be workers, without teachers. All of the educational learning begins in the classroom. All of the academic knowledge happens through the conduct of the lesson, the execution of seat-works, the facilitation of group activities and projects, the orchestration of recitation, and examinations, and all the co-curricular activities. These little incremental steps towards learning lead to a brighter paved path of success. None of these good gifts will be possible without God, and without teachers, His chosen stewards, His chosen instructors for learning.

A short Audio-visual Presentation (AVP) was shown. In the audio-visual presentation, the voice-over of a teacher, calling the attendance of her students echoed across the hall. The students in the AVP turned out to be prominent figures in society; Ms. Alyssa Valdez, a Filipino Volleyball player, and Ms. Pia Wurtzbach, Miss Universe 2015, were some of the personalities shown in the video, saying the word, “present” as the teacher would call their names. After this video came another short video from the Upper Sirib Elementary School. The video featured first-graders, answering the question , “My teacher is my hero because..” Some of the answers included, “My teacher is my hero tungod kay gitudluan ko niya moabasa, mosulat ug mo-ihap,” and “My teacher is my hero tungod kay siya ang akong ikaduhang ginikanan.” To the students, their teacher is their hero because they considered their teachers as their second parents, and these second parents taught them the primary skills of reading, writing, and counting. “We teachers write the future,” SDS Asuncion said in the closing statement of her welcome remarks.

Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio gave her speech. The mayor had revealed the fact that her mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Zimmerman- Duterte was a former teacher at the Philippine Women’s College (PWC). The Mayor shared an anecdote of how she used to be her mother’s teaching assistant when it would come to checking the outputs of her students in their typing classes. The Mayor went on to express her advice to teachers, “Be careful of your words and actions. Maybe these actions are fleeting, but the impact of these words will last in the mind of the leaners, for a lifetime.” The Mayor shared her experience of how one teacher greatly influenced her decision to choose the profession she would live by. When Mayor Sara was in the crossroads of her life, trying to discern what calling she should follow, she recalled how her teacher used to praise her writing skills. The Mayor recounted the writing stints she had in highschool—all the winning moments she had through and because of writing. From that experience, she realized she could be, and that she should be an advocatus or an abogado, as what Filipinos would call their legal advocates, their lawyers.

“They will remember that. Make sure that the memory they will have of you will be positive, encouraging, and will change their lives for the better,” Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said, instructing teachers to be careful with their words and actions, and to leave a life-changing impression on their students; this imprint must stimulate students to learn, practice, and to value the application of education in their lives.

Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio summed up her speech into four points. The first point was that of the message of gratitude. Mayor Sara thanked the teachers for their continued support to their administration. The second point referred to the message of the importance of kindness. Mayor Sara encouraged teachers to show kindness to all, to their colleagues, and most especially to their students; kindness shown will elicit kindness, obedience, and respect from everyone in return, as an expression of gratitude and goodwill.

The third and the fourth message centralizes on the call for all of the DepEd community to unite as one in helping the administration to address and solve cases on matters that concern the welfare of the children. Mayor Sara ended her speech with the quote, “Teaching is the mother of all professions,” reminding the educators of the nobility of their profession. The nobility of this profession does not lie on the merits which the teacher will have received, but on the selfless sacrifice, they are willing to give, in order to mold the future of the children; to steer their paths towards the right direction, the road which they are predestined to follow, in this lifetime. Such a magnanimous contribution from the teachers, in their willingness and conscientious service to God, to society, and to the learners shall already have carved the greatest difference.

“The significance of this celebration is truly precious and priceless,” Dr. Wenefredo E. Cagape, PSDS/ Head, Cluster 1/ Head, Davao City National High School (DCNHS), said during the opening ceremonies of the World Teachers’ Day program in the afternoon. True, the event was the only fitting occasion to pay tribute to the teachers, the heroes, whose passion continues to serve as the guiding force for students to embrace the long-fold path of success.

The World Teacher’s Day Celebration will never be complete without the contests and events crafted for the stars of the day—the teachers. The World Teacher’s Day Bazaar, the Pasiklaban ng mga Guro, and the Audio-Visual Presentation (AVP) for the World Teacher’s Day Celebration were three of the highlights for the afternoon session of the culminating program. alt

The DepEd Schools Division Office of Davao City Booth

Prior to the culminating program, the Davao City National High School (DCNHS) conducted a World Teacher’s Day Bazaar. The Bazaar featured six booths, represented by the Schools Division Office of Davao City and the respective clusters of the division. Beauty products, clothes, fruits, plants, delicacies, pastries, shakes, desserts and all food, health and wellness items were present in the booth. All of the booths were constructed through wooden materials with decorative ornaments of flowers, posters, and other forms of arts and crafts—all solely according to the clusters’ prerogative

The “Pasiklaban ng mga Guro” was the second highlight of the World Teacher’s Day Celebration. Six entries from the Division of Davao City vied for the victory. Pasiklaban showed production numbers where one teacher shall have sung one pop song together with the back-up dancers. Pasiklaban was one avenue for teachers to show their talents in singing and in dancing—all the aces they have in the performing arts stage. alt