ILOILO City – Eighty-nine young Indigenous Peoples (IPs) in Iloilo province have proven true the cliché, “poverty is not a hindrance to success” by graduating from college, some of them with Latin honors.
Yesterday, the Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebration at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol feted 89 IP graduates who were all scholars of the Iloilo provincial government’s “Provincial Education Assistance for IPs.”
One of the grantees, John Lloyd Mendez of Barangay Nagba, Maasin town, graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education, major in Filipino at the West Visayas State University (WVSU) main campus in this city.
“Tuod-tuod gid ya hambal nila indi gid ya upang ang kapigaduhon, indi upang ang kalayuon sa kon diin ka man ya naghalin as long as nagahimakas ka, nagasalig ka sa Diyos, gina-ulikdan mo pamilya mo. Makalab-ot ka gid sa padulongan mo. I am the living witness of that nga naghandom lang para maka-eskwela sa college, now graduated as magna cum laude,” the 23-year-old Mendez told Panay News.
The scholarship program of the provincial government helped his mother send him to school after his father died of stroke in 2018.
After he graduated from senior high school, Mendez thought of taking college at WVSU which was offering free tuition. But he knew there would be incidental expenses such as transportation fare and allowance so he applied for the scholarship.
To further help his mother in their family’s daily expenses, he also applied to become a student assistant (working student) in school.
“Para indi na ko magsalig kay nanay, nga bisan pigado lang kami makaya ko mag-graduate. Bisan hambalon pa nga tagabukid ko kaya ko mag-survive diri sa syudad,” Mendez said.
His hardships were all worth it when he graduated with Latin honors.
His graduation day on July 21, 2022 became a double celebration; he was hired as a teacher at the University of Iloilo and he started working a day after he graduated.
Mendez is a member of IP group Panay Bukidnon.
He told Panay News that he wanted to give back to his IP community through education. He urged his fellow IP graduates to do the same.
“Indi naton pagkalimtan ang aton komunidad,” he stressed. “I am honing my skills as a teacher para soon mahambal ko I will give my best, the best product of me, para mag-serbe sa akon komunidad.”
As an educator, Mendez said he is also sharing to his students the IP culture and the importance to preserve it.
“Tanan kita nagahimakas. It is time for us to inspire our fellow IPs nga nagahimakas man para makatapos sa pag-eskwela. We should be a good example to them…Ano man kataas ang aton nalab-ot, indi ta gid pagkalimtan kon diin kita naghalin,” he added.
Meanwhile, Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. emphasized that the goal of the provincial government is not only to preserve IP culture but also to make IP communities a part of national development.
Data from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples showed Iloilo province with 69,296 IPs in 21 towns and they are mostly Ati and Panay Bukidnon.
Spearheaded by the Iloilo Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, the Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebration in Iloilo was in line with the National Indigenous Peoples Month celebration and the 25th Indigenous Peoples Rights Act approval commemoration. The theme was “25 Years: Fulfilling the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and Bridging the Gaps Through ICCS/IPS Convergence with Partners and Stakeholders to Ensure Economic Sustainability and Security in the Ancestral Domains.”
The 89 IP grantees were from the municipalities of Alimodian, Anilao, Barotac Viejo, Calinog, Dueñas, Janiuay, Lambunao, Leon, Maasin, and Tubungan,
Two of them including Mendez graduated magna cum laude while 15 graduated cum laude. During the awarding of recognition, they also received cash incentives from the provincial government./PN
