A school that love built

By Jun Velasco

We must be the change we want to see. – Gandhi

WHILE a classmate in the university – a resident of disaster-damaged Leyte province – pours out  his heart (an entire barangay  was swallowed up by rampaging mountain mud killing thousands amid nonstop rains,) our attention is caught by the balding hills of Pangasinan.

The local media have not stopped nitpicking the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and  our local government officials – those with  lackadaisical attitude – in light of some sections of the province especially the once “Wild, Wild West of Pangasinan” as leading candidates for “the next Southern Leyte” (God forbid!).

True,  the provincial government is a stickler for environment, thanks to info czar Ruel Camba  regularly dishing out news bits about Governor Victor Agbayani as an ardent  protector  of  the environment, our forest included, but the sorry state of our mountains and balding forests is making a lot of people nervous.

In Bugallon town, Congressman Amado “Spines” Espino, reports say, does not lack “spines” in implementing Speaker Joe’s One Billion Trees campaign. Spines’ number one fan Renato Remogat brags the diminutive congressman has a ten-hectare tree farm in this hilly town ostensibly “to roll the ball for others to follow.” But has anyone Spines’ example?

Salvador Dawal, our university buddy, up to now couldn’t understand why his province was a favorite whipping boy of disasters. A few years back, Ormoc City, also in Leyte, was crushed by a tidal wave killing 2,000 people. Why? Why? Why? Buddy tearfully asks.  Is there a message for Leytenos? We think there is, not just Leyteños but all of us. This is the message, nay, warning: Destroy the environment, and we die.  

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Like Philippine Star correspondent and Punch business editor Eva Visperas, we are among the 500 recipients of Indian national Ashok  Vasandini’s soul-lifting text messages he sends out everyday.

Over  the weekend, we dropped by Ashok’s home in Barangay Tambac to find out  how and why  he was eagerly spending money which is not much, on cellphone cards or “loads” costs everyday. We are impressed; we told him while his lovely Indian wife looked on, that he was exerting much energy sending out the Godly messages daily, sometimes twice or thrice a day. He showed us four inspirational books where he picks up the messages, digests and translates them into one-liners or catchy lines and sends 500 of them one at a time. Ashok must be Godsend, confessing his sheer delight each time he ticks away with every message.

The Indian national, who is admired and respected for his friendliness and consistent support to the city government, local police and other humanitarian groups belongs to an old Indian family that runs the Maya Emporium in Dagupan.

Our meeting turned out to be a spiritual refresher that recharged his visitors’ spiritual batteries. Ashok, president of his subdivision’s association, said his daily text messaging regiment has made him feel closer to God and hoped that in this unique way he is able to save errant souls.  In these faithless times, we need more Ashoks in our lives.

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Most everyone’s favorite singer Paul Anka will be in town sometime in May l4 and l5 to do a concert for Manilans and visitors. Today’s young may not know this heartthrob of the 60’s and his “Diana,” “Crazy Love,” “Put Your Head on My Shoulder” and other ditties that were the rage at tha time.

We hope that good-natured Dagupeño who gave us two front-seat tickets for the Andy Williams concert on February 14 will do an encore. Right now we are already lavishing him with thank-you’s and I love you’s.

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Did  you know that Mother Goose Playskool which began as a dainty nursery, kindergarten and prep  school in a quaint corner at Barangays  Malued and Tapuac  has multiplied and grown into twelve high quality centers of child development, grade and secondary education in the province and the National Capital Region?

The Mother Goose idea began as a dream of University of Luzon founder and now chancellor Luis Samson and his late wife, Doña Josefa Mendoza-Samson, who died on March 27, l772. When she died physically, her beloved idea, a great school, was born. So in a sense, she didn’t die, because her memory and the vision she profoundly shared with hubby Luis lives on.

Mother   Goose has branches  in Pasig City, Urdaneta City, San Carlos City, Bayambang, Lipa City in Batangas, Sta. Ana, Manila; Makati City, Marikina City, Montalban and others.

All our children acquired their nursery, kindergarten, elementary and high school tutelage at Mother Goose. Congratulations, Kuya Sammy, daughters Auring, Gloria and  daughter-in-law Eddie Cuison, UL president Macky and Councilor Chito and grandchildren who have all lovingly piloted the little school into a national  landmark of quality education.

It’s said that one may invest in cathedrals, school buildings or big edifices, but all these will crumble in time. But invest in a school and you sire a nation. “Mother Goose,” says Gloria, MGP president, “believes that education is next to God as the most important element of life.”    

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