Bobonan National High School, Pozorrubio, Pangasinan, Philippines: 

Its Humble Beginnings

By: Rodrigo P. de Vera, Jr., Ed.D.

                Fifty years ago, sealed with the passion to help his townmates, particularly the townfolks of Brgys. Bobonan, Laoac and Batakil, to have an accessible secondary education within their reach, Don Gerardo A. Buada, a prominent son of Batakil and Vice Mayor of Pozorrubio during that time made the impossible dream possible.

Series of consultation from parents and house-to-house visitation were conducted by Don Gerardo Buada and some concerned community folks in order to convince the parents of prospective first year students to enroll their sons and daughters in the soon-to-open community high school. Founded on August 10, 1966, Bobonan Community High School finally rose up within the vicinity of Bobonan Community School, now Bobonan Central School.

                Started with one section under  an old house with  dilapidated roof and walls, the first batch of high school students of Bobonan Community High School had to suffer the birth pains of its beginning. When it rained outside, students literally got wet as rains poured into their room. During day time, the sun rays normally peeped into the walls giving them a warming welcome.

                In School Year 1966-1967, Bobonan Community High School (BCHS) started with two curriculum years under the supervision of Mr. Celestino Desamito, principal of Bobonan Central School (BCS), who acted as the assistant principal. The principal of any existing barangay high schools during that time was under the supervision of the principal of Pozorrubio High School. On its first year of operation, there were two high school teachers and two part-time teachers who were elementary school teachers of the same school.

                Succeeding Mr. Desamito as an assistant principal of BCHS was Mr. Miguel C. Ancheta who assumed his position in the 1970s. During that time, the name of BCHS was changed into Bobonan Barrio High School (BBHS) with  six full time teachers.

                Finally, on September 7, 1987, the school became nationalized through Executive Order 189 signed by President Corazon C. Aquino. And the school had to change its name again. This time, it was called Bobonan National High School (BNHS).

Consequently. Mrs. Consuelo Carillo, who was designated as Teacher-in-Charge (TIC) had to resign in her post on September 3, 1990 due to poor health. To fill up the said position, a 29-year old teacher in this school accepted the post as the first school administrator.

 Equipped with enthusiasm and positive outlook in life, Mr. Florencio B. Quezon took the challenge. He soon became a full pledge Principal I in 1994. Soon after, the young principal finished his doctorate. With his unceasing vision for this school, his fruit of labor soon felt its presence within the school campus and nearby barangays. From having only eight teachers, the faculty had increased to 13 teachers. To cater to the educational needs of students residing in nearby barangays, Mr. Quezon put up an Annex of BNHS in Brgy. Nama and soon became an independent institution called the Nama National High School.

Dr. Quezon relentlessly proceeded to mark further changes in the infrastructure of the school. He improved the classrooms, built the school canteen, study shed, conference room, and renovated the principal`s office.

           

            As the saying goes, nothing is permanent in this world. When opportunity knocked in his doorstep, in as much as he wanted to stay in this school, Dr. Quezon had to bid farewell to his beloved BNHS. He left Bobonan National High School on February 14, 2002 with no hesitation and doubt and took another milestone in his professional career as Principal II of Antonio P. Villar National High School in Sto. Tomas, Pangasinan.

 Equally sealed with enthusiasm and dedication to public service, Dr. Enrique R. Macayan took Bobonan National High School to its greater heights. His coming to this school had ushered further development of this institution. With his amiable character and excellent public relations, his leadership backed up by supportive stakeholders led the construction of the two-storey building, Social Hall, more classrooms, among others. It was also during his administration that the proposed  change the school`s name was made, thus, the birth of Bobonan-Laoac-Batakil National High School, a name that has been locally and vocally accepted name of BNHS from the stakeholders of the three barangays.  Though it has not been made official,  the proponent has yet to work it out with the National Historical Commission according to Dr. Macayan.

After nine (9) years of his fruitful stay in this school, Dr. Macayan left Bobonan National High School  in May 2011 in order to take a greater responsibility. With his strong leadership coupled with great  achievements, he was promoted to a higher position with a wider responsibility. This time, his destiny led him to Pangasinan Division II as Education Program Supervisor (EPS) of MAPEH.

Replacing Dr. Macayan was Ms. Flordeliza I. Eroles, Principal 1 of  Baguinay National High School, Manaoag, Pangasinan. Her coming to the Bobonan National High School has led to an overhauling of its educational practices giving no space for mediocrity. She has made the name of the school felt within the Division of Pangasinan II. Her infrastructure projects have made Bobonan National High what it is now today. With its awards as Division’s Champion for two (2) consecutive years as Best Brigada Implementer (Small School Category) in Pangasinan Division II and 5^th Place and 3^rd place in the region in the same category for S.Y. 2014-2015 and S.Y. 2015-2016, BNHS has become a byword and has gained an admiration from the Schools Division Superintendent. Infrastructure projects like the construction of the Don Gerardo E. Buada E-Library, Learning Gallery, conversion of the common comfort room into Faculty Room, the Bread and Pastry Laboratory which has been converted into the Office of the Principal are just some of the projects that made BNHS a learning hub for the young learners of the three barangays.

Under the supervision and leadership of its present School Principal, Bobonan NHS today continues to broaden its  horizon,  fulfils its dream one at a time, inspires young people to dream big,  and carries out its vision and mission with zest.

Study in BNHS and see the difference it makes in your life from here onwards!

Postcards Collecting, A Hobby for Social Studies Teacher
by:Dr. Rodrigo P. de Vera Jr.
Postcrossing Ambassador Filipino History Teacher  and Collector of Postcards, Stamps, Banknotes/Coins, Phone Cards, Fossils, Etc.
Have you been abroad? Have you traveled around the world? If not, would you like to have a one-stop world tour for free? Today, you can travel around the world anytime and anywhere you want to be. You don't need to have a passport and a visa or to be on board an airplane, ship or a train just to travel from one country to the other, from one continent to another, or even travel back in the past without using a time machine.

You can visit the majestic and breathtaking sights of a 2,000 year-old Banaue Rice Terraces in the Philippines, the Taj Majal in India, the Grand Canyon of Arizona in the U.S.A., the Ayers Rock in Australia, the Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt, the Roman Forum in Italy, and many other beautiful places in the world in just a few minutes.

How is this possible? Definitely, you can be anywhere in the world in seven continents by means of postcards collecting.

Postcards offer a wide range of topics featuring different lands, people, flora and fauna, and the different cultures of the world-from the tiny atolls in the Pacific Ocean, to the Himalayan Region, to the rain forests of South America to the scorching wilderness of the Sahara Desert, or even beyond our Solar System.

What makes postcard collecting relevant to Social Studies teachers? Here are some of the values that we can get from deltiology, the technical term for postcard collecting: 

The Benefits of Collecting Postcards
1. It is educational. Postcards present the various cultures of the different countries in the world. Your knowledge in geography and history is enhanced. Postcard collecting is a "field trip" or "world tour" itself.

2. It has therapeutic effect. Looking at the panoramic views on postcards such as beautiful beaches, virgin forests, trees, swamps, rivers, waterfalls, our world's exotic marine bio-diversity and wildlife in their natural habitat will certainly provide the viewer a great sigh of relief from stress. This makes us even closer to nature.

3. It promotes friendship. This hobby provides an avenue of acquaintance among collectors. Sharing a common interest is the beginning of a new friendship between local and foreign collectors regardless of their religious and cultural backgrounds.

4. It enhances one's communication skills. People who look at your collection will not just be contented of just looking at your collections. They usually ask you many questions about your collections. 

5. It keeps you away from vices. Spend your vacant time productively with your hobby or hobbies. In this way, you keep yourself busy and away from detrimental habits such as drug using. Remember: an idle mind is the best workplace of the devil.

6. It is ideal for teaching materials. Teachers, like myself, can utilize postcards as their visual aids in almost all subjects. They could have their postcards framed for their classroom decorations.

7. It is a form of investment. The joy of postcard collecting brings to the collector is priceless. Keeping one's collection is a form of investment. 

Postcards serve as teaching materials in History Subjects:

1. It enhances your knowledge on geography. You can search the country of origin where the card came from. Postcards do feature world maps, country map, and all types of maps.

2. It provides visual effects. Your lessons can be enhanced through the presentation of cards featuring different themes, like UNESCO sites, historical sites, etc.

3. It features the rich historical, cultural and religious practices, Postcards do feature the different practices of  indigenous practices, cultural and religious practices from the different parts of the world..

So, come and join the fascinating world of postcards collecting through POSTCROSSING!

You can write me in this address:

DR. RODRIGO P. DE VERA JR.
#380 ROSARIO, POZORRUBIO, PANGASINAN
PHILIPPINES 2435 

ABSTRACT

1.  Title:                      : “STATUS OF INDIGENOUS STUDENTS OF BOBONAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL”

2. Researcher :           DE VERA, RODRIGO JR. P. , ED.D.

3. Institution:             BOBONAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

4. Pages:                      120

5. Statement of the Problem

            This study aimed primarily to determine the status of the indigenous students of Bobonan National High School. 

6. Research Design:

The descriptive method of research, using questionnaire as the main gathering instrument, was used as it described the demographic profile of the parents  in terms of their indigenous groups, birthplaces, mother tongues, second languages, residency, employment and the status of indigenous students in terms of their indigenous groups, birthplaces, mother tongues, second languages, identifying marks, early trainings, frequency of doing their cultural practices and the way they feel toward their cultural practices and heritage.

7. Locale of the Study

The locale of this study was Bobonan National High School, Bobonan, Pozorrubio, Pangasinan. The sources of data  were the fourteen (14) indigenous students from Grades 7 to 10.

8. Research Design

Frequency counts, percentage, and average weighted mean (AWM) were utilized as tools for data analysis.

9. Findings

            The following were the findings of this study. On the demographic profile of student-respondents’ family status, in terms of their parents’ affiliated indigenous groups, twelve (12) or majority of their fathers of the indigenous students were Ifugaos with 85.71%, and one who belonged to a Bago Tribe and one belonged to a non-indigenous group (Pangasinense)  with 7.14% each. On the other hand, twelve (12)  or majority of their mothers were Ifugaos with 85.71%, one mother was Kankana-ey, and the other one belonged to a non-indigenous group (Pangasinense)  with 7.14% each.  In terms of their parents’ birthplaces, twelve (12) or majority of their fathers were born in Banaue with 85.71%, while two (2) of their fathers were born in Pangasinan, one in Sison and the other one was in Pozorrubio with 1% each. On the other hand . eleven (11) of the mothers were born in Banaue with 78.57%, one was born in Baguio City, one in Mt. Province and one was born in Pangasinan with 7.14% each. In terms of their parents’ mother tongues, eleven (11)  or majority of their fathers spoke Banaue with 78.57% while the remaining three (3) fathers spoke Ilocano with 21.43%. On the other hand, ten (10) or 71.43% of their mothers spoke Banaue, followed by Ilocano with three or 21.43%, while only one (1) spoke Kankanaey with 7.14%. In terms of their parents’ second languages, eight (8) of their fathers spoke Ilocano  with 57.14% while six (6) of their fathers spoke Filipino with 42.86%. On the other hand, seven (7) or 50% of their mothers spoke Ilocano, 5 or 35.71% of them spoke Filipino, while two (2) or 14.29% of them spoke Pangasinan. In terms of their parents’ status of employment , ten (10) of  their fathers or majority of them were contractual with 71.43%, followed by three (3) fathers who were permanent with 21.43% while one father who was dead and was considered no longer working with 1%.  On the other hand, eight (8) or majority of the mothers were not working with 57.14%; four (4) were contractual with 28.57% , while two of the mothers were permanent with 14.29%. In terms of their parents’ occupations, ten (10) or majority of the fathers were wood carvers with 71.43%, followed by 1% from each occupation: construction working, private employee, and teaching. On the other hand, eight (8) or majority of the mothers were housekeepers with 57.14%, two of them were wood carvers and another two were OFWs with 14.29% each, one was self-employed and another one was teacher with 7.14% each. In terms of the status of their parents’ residency, majority of parents or nine (9) of them have temporary residency while five pairs of  parents (5) or 35.71 % have permanent residency. In terms of the status of their parents’ domicile, majority of the parents or 57.14% were renting their houses, three (3) pair of parents owned their houses with 21.43%, two (2) pairs of parents were living with their relatives with 14.29% and a pair of parents was caretaker with 7.14%.        In terms of their parents’ years of residency in Pozorrubio, four pair of parents with 28.57% of them have been living in Pozorrubio for at least 3 to 4 years, followed by three pairs of parents who have been living for 1 to 2 years with 21.43%. Two (2) pairs   of the parents have been living in this town for 13 to 14 years and another two (2) pairs of parents have been living for 9 to 10 years with 14.29% each. While one pair of parents has been living in Pozorrubio for 14 years and above, another for 11 to 12 years, and another pair of parents has been living here for 7 to 8 years with 7.14 % each. On the status of indigenous students: In terms of the student-respondents’  affiliated indigenous groups, , twelve (12) or majority of the respondents were Ifugaos with 85.71%, one (1) was Kankanaey, and one (1) was Bago with 7.14% each.  In terms of the student-respondents’ birthplaces, six (6) of them were born in Baguio City, with 42.86%, four (4) or 28.57% of them were born in Banaue, two (2) or 14.29% were born in Pangasinan, and one(1) was born in Pampanga and the other one (1) in Quirino with 7.14% each. In terms of the student-respondents’ mother tongues,  nine (9) or 64.29 % spoke Banaue, followed by Ilocano with 4 or 28.57%, and one (1) student-respondent spoke Pangasinan with 7.14%. In terms of the student-respondents’ second languages, eight (8) out of 14 student-respondents or 57.14%  spoke Filipino as second language, while six (6) or 42.86% of them spoke Ilocano.   In terms of their physical appearance, most of time their classmates recognized them as indigenous group because of their family names with  Average Weighted Mean of 3.57 and sometimes they were recognized as members of the indigenous group by their looks (physical appearance) with Average Weighted Mean of 3.14 and their intonation with Average Weighted Mean of 2.79. In terms of incidence of their classmates making fun of their identifying marks, the student-respondents rarely felt that their classmates made fun of their looks, family names and intonation with average weighted mean of 2.57, 2.43 and 2.29 respectively. In terms of the frequency in using their parents’ mother tongues and second languages, the student-respondents always spoke their parents’ mother tongue when they were talking to their kababayan or relatives with AWM of 4.43. Most of the time, they spoke with their mothers’ mother tongue with AWM of 3.71 and fathers’ mother tongue with AWM of 3.5. In terms of the frequency of wearing their indigenous clothes, they never wore bahag or tap-is as part of their costume during school programs with AWM of 1.0 in both items. In terms of the frequency of dancing their cultural dances, particularly caňao, the student-respondents never danced caňao or cultural dances during family gathering, community activity, school programs and even when having a vacation to the birthplaces of their parents. In terms of the frequency of playing gangsa, the student-respondents have never played gansa whenever there is a special occasion at home with AWM of 1.14 and even during school program or beauty pageant as part of their talent with AWM of 1.0. In terms of the frequency of eating indigenous foods at home, the student-respondents have rarely eaten pinuneg (dinuguan) at home with AWM of 2.00. They have never eaten pinikpikan, etag/itag, sabusab, and tapuey/tapuy/tapey at home. However, when having a vacation with their parents’ birthplaces, they have rarely eaten pinikpikan with AWM of 1.86. In terms of their early training of their cultural practices,  the student-respondents were taught by their parents their mother tongue most of the time with AWM of 3.71. However, they were never taught on how to wear bahag for the boys and tap-is for the girls, how to dance “canao”, how to play gangsa, and how to eat indigenous foods. In terms of their feelings toward their cultural heritage, the student-respondents felt proud all the time for their parents’ mother tongues with AWM of 4.71 and their family names with AWM of 4.36. Most of the time, they felt proud of their parents’ cultural dance and musical instrument with AWM of 3.43 each. Sometimes they felt proud of their physical looks with AWM of 3.36 and intonation with AWM of 3.29. They rarely felt proud of eating indigenous foods with AWM of 2.50 and wearing tap-is for the girls with AWM of 2.0. They never felt proud of wearing bahag for the boys with AWM of 1.1.

            Based on the findings, the following conclusions were derived: 1). That majority of the families of the indigenous students, who came from Banaue, Ifugao, migrated to Pozorrubio due to employment opportunities and they have been living in this town as contractual workers and temporary residents; 2). That the indigenous families spoke their mother tongue at home, but their parents failed to imbibe among their children their cultural practices; and 3). That due to the failure of parents to teach  their children their cultural practices  at an early age, the indigenous students, as a consequence, have failed to experience and showcase their rich cultural practices during special occasions in the family, community and school programs.

            Based on the findings and conclusions, the following recommendations are presented:1). There is a need to organize in the school a club  for the indigenous students and a separate club for  their  parents;2). Observe the annual celebration of the National Indigenous Peoples’ Month every month of  October and International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples in the month of August; and 3). Include into the curriculum the indigenous education system, particularly in the subjects MAPEH, Araling Panlipunan, and Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao  in compliance to DepEd Order No. 32, s. 2015.