Aplaya Elementary School, Pila, Laguna

Looking back a year ago, the Principal cried in the middle of her speech, on the stage, in front of everybody, when the Principal accepted the donation of 2 classrooms from FtH to the Balatbat Elementary School in Lobo, Batangas last April 18, 2009. It is a gift of much needed classrooms in the crowded school from FtH, an organization half way around the world, the Principal have not heard of until February 2009. The classrooms, donated by the Gaw Family, built in less than 2 months are a gift of love from the FtH volunteers to the students of Balatbat ES, from FtH volunteers the students have not seen and most probably will never meet.

And today, the Barangay Kagawad, looking tough and weathered beyond his age, always exposed to the sun the whole day, with his everyday farming and fishing for a livelihood, cried unashamedly in front of schools staff and FtH volunteers when he acknowledge the donation of 2 classrooms to Aplaya Elementary School in Pila, Laguna. The classrooms will replace the classrooms damaged by Typhoon Ondoy last November 2009. For two months after the typhoon, the students had to pay P2 to ride the boats to another school on higher grounds in another neighborhood, until the water subsided and the school ground had been cleaned of mud and debris. Grades 1 and 2 had to share the basketball court since their classrooms had been damaged by Typhoon Ondoy. The teachers had to play musical chairs with the blackboard to shield the students from the hot sun in the morning and later in the afternoon. The students had to suffer the dust and the noise from the street in the open classrooms. The school officials and local government have repeatedly asked for some help from the Department of Education and high government officials and all they get were empty promises to replace their classrooms.

FtH must be doing something good to make these seasoned people cry, in appreciation of the classroom donation. These people must have prayed for some miracles and FtH answered the call through some divine guidance. It was already late in the afternoon, FtH volunteers and CFO staffs were very tired from visiting about six (6) sites in Pagsanjan and Pila, since we left Manila about 8:30 AM. We already called it a day around 4:00PM; since we need two more hours to get home, when the phone rang and the teachers were asking our contact, Jerry of CFO, if we can still visit the school. We turned back; saw the school and we agreed on the need for the classrooms. Today, we met with the school staff, the Barangay officials, PTA for the pre-construction meeting, signing of the MOA and the ground breaking. The classrooms will be ready when school starts in June 14, 2010.